From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordHeteromēkēs means having unequal lengths.
- In StobaeusThe even-number construction yields oblong figures, while the corresponding odd-number construction yields squares.
- In this edition“Oblong” is the traditional rendering here.
- A place to beginOblong figures are contrasted with the square arrangement of odd-number gnomons.
- English renderings
- oblong; having unequal sides
Meaning
Heteromēkēs means having unequal lengths. In this arithmetic discussion it concerns oblong arrangements contrasted with squares.
Use in the book
The even-number construction yields oblong figures, while the corresponding odd-number construction yields squares. The relevant oblongs can be represented by consecutive side lengths, n and n + 1. The account also brings odd and even into a larger contrast of center, limit, and balance; those evaluative associations belong to its interpretation of number.
Places to read
- Arith.10cOblong figures are contrasted with the square arrangement of odd-number gnomons.
Translation in this edition
“Oblong” is the traditional rendering here. “Rectangle” alone would not convey the contrast with equal sides.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 22. Heteromēkēs is broader as an ordinary adjective than the particular consecutive-sided figures used in this construction. The account’s value judgments are not modern mathematical properties.