One of (or arguably *the*) most important and influential texts in all of mathematics, Euclid's "Elements of Geometry" is a (series of) book(s) that lay out arguments for an ever-increasingly-complex truths using a small set of assumed propositions (what we'd today call [[Axiom]]s), and their logical extensions, supported using text and diagrams. The text is self-consistent. It provides instructions on how to create *constructs* that help solve problems. It uses those constructs in increasingly complex ways to demonstrate increasingly complex "proofs"[^1]. This allows you to achieve [[Complicated]] results through [[Decomposition Understanding]]. The first argument explains how to construct an equilateral triangle, which can also be used to construct right angles. These involve a compass and straight edge. ![[Elements_of_Geometry.excalidraw.png]] From there, the text builds on itself, relying on the previous constructs that it proved. **** # More ## Source - https://youtu.be/M-MgQC6z3VU?si=2cBM6CWQ72-fo8l5 [^1]: although these proofs would not hold up to the strict criteria we use for the term "proof" today, apparently - I'm no mathematician.