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I am working through Euclid's Elements for fun, but I find the propositions difficult to understand without referencing the provided figures. Unfortunately, the figures usually give away the proofs, so sometimes I feel robbed of the opportunity to work on a fun problem. Does anyone know of an edition of Euclid's Elements that uses modern mathematical language AND does not have figures? I've been searching for a few hours and haven't found anything. If no one can think of anything and someone is interested in a "Euclid through Inquiry" style document, then I might spend a weekend $\TeX$ing something up.

This is my first stack-exchange post, so I am sorry if this question is inappropriate.

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3 Answers

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When I started delving in to The Elements I had the same issue. Euclid's propositions are somewhat unusual especially due to the translations. I actually did a whole blog post on this that was geared towards new students trying to learn and understand geometry. I go over the propositions in it if you are interested: . Perhaps this could serve as an example on how to show it it more modern terms.

It's a challenging read, but I figure since it was the go-to math text for over 2000 years, that it still has its relevance. Euclid is a personal hero of mine. I know its been a while since you wrote this post, but I am interested in what you came up with.

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In general, mathematicians say that the best way to study Euclidean geometry is drawing the figures yourself following the instructions of proofs. I believe it's a valid point of view even if it is only a study for fun. And most mathematicians think that way about almost every area of mathematics. So I hardly think you will find a translation of Euclid's elements that draw all construction in each proof.

Suggestion. See the book Euclid's elements of geometry by Richard Fitzparick. This book has few pictures. But I think it won't bother you. Although the translation is accompanied by small clarifications. I think you have a modern language you seek.

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After 7 years, I finally completed the supplement I was looking for back then. My problem isn't the figures per se, but the fact that the figures usually give away the solution. I created a supplement that hopefully provides enough information for a student to understand each proposition well enough to take a stab at it themselves.

LaTeX:

PDF:

All feedback and suggestions are welcome, and I'd be overjoyed to hear if anyone finds it interesting or useful.

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