Circles: Book 3 Proposition 31
Translations
Ἐν κύκλῳ ἡ μὲν ἐν τῷ ἡμικυκλίῳ γωνία ὀρθή ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ μείζονι τμήματι ἐλάττων ὀρθῆς, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐλάττονι τμήματι μείζων ὀρθῆς: καὶ ἔτι ἡ μὲν τοῦ μείζονος τμήματος γωνία μείζων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς, ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἐλάττονος τμήματος γωνία ἐλάττων ὀρθῆς. Ἔστω κύκλος ὁ ΑΒΓΔ, διάμετρος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἔστω ἡ ΒΓ, κέντρον δὲ τὸ Ε, καὶ ἐπεζεύχθωσαν αἱ ΒΑ, ΑΓ, ΑΔ, ΔΓ: λέγω, ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἐν τῷ ΒΑΓ ἡμικυκλίῳ γωνία ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΑΓ ὀρθή ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ ΑΒΓ μείζονι τοῦ ἡμικυκλίου τμήματι γωνία ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ ἐλάττων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ ΑΔΓ ἐλάττονι τοῦ ἡμικυκλίου τμήματι γωνία ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΔΓ μείζων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς. Ἐπεζεύχθω ἡ ΑΕ, καὶ διήχθω ἡ ΒΑ ἐπὶ τὸ Ζ. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΒΕ τῇ ΕΑ, ἴση ἐστὶ καὶ γωνία ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΒΕ τῇ ὑπὸ ΒΑΕ. πάλιν, ἐπεὶ ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΓΕ τῇ ΕΑ, ἴση ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΓΕ τῇ ὑπὸ ΓΑΕ: ὅλη ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΑΓ δυσὶ ταῖς ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ, ΑΓΒ ἴση ἐστίν. ἐστὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΖΑΓ ἐκτὸς τοῦ ΑΒΓ τριγώνου δυσὶ ταῖς ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ, ΑΓΒ γωνίαις ἴση: ἴση ἄρα καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΑΓ γωνία τῇ ὑπὸ ΖΑΓ: ὀρθὴ ἄρα ἑκατέρα: ἡ ἄρα ἐν τῷ ΒΑΓ ἡμικυκλίῳ γωνία ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΑΓ ὀρθή ἐστιν. Καὶ ἐπεὶ τοῦ ΑΒΓ τριγώνου δύο γωνίαι αἱ ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ, ΒΑΓ δύο ὀρθῶν ἐλάττονές εἰσιν, ὀρθὴ δὲ ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΑΓ, ἐλάττων ἄρα ὀρθῆς ἐστιν ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ γωνία: καί ἐστιν ἐν τῷ ΑΒΓ μείζονι τοῦ ἡμικυκλίου τμήματι. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐν κύκλῳ τετράπλευρόν ἐστι τὸ ΑΒΓΔ, τῶν δὲ ἐν τοῖς κύκλοις τετραπλεύρων αἱ ἀπεναντίον γωνίαι δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσαι εἰσίν [αἱ ἄρα ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ, ΑΔΓ γωνίαι δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσαι εἰσίν], καί ἐστιν ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ ἐλάττων ὀρθῆς: λοιπὴ ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΔΓ γωνία μείζων ὀρθῆς ἐστιν: καί ἐστιν ἐν τῷ ΑΔΓ ἐλάττονι τοῦ ἡμικυκλίου τμήματι. Λέγω, ὅτι καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ μείζονος τμήματος γωνία ἡ περιεχομένη ὑπό [τε] τῆς ΑΒΓ περιφερείας καὶ τῆς ΑΓ εὐθείας μείζων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς, ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἐλάττονος τμήματος γωνία ἡ περιεχομένη ὑπό [τε] τῆς ΑΔ[Γ] περιφερείας καὶ τῆς ΑΓ εὐθείας ἐλάττων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς. καί ἐστιν αὐτόθεν φανερόν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν ΒΑ, ΑΓ εὐθειῶν ὀρθή ἐστιν, ἡ ἄρα ὑπὸ τῆς ΑΒΓ περιφερείας καὶ τῆς ΑΓ εὐθείας περιεχομένη μείζων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς. πάλιν, ἐπεὶ ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν ΑΓ, ΑΖ εὐθειῶν ὀρθή ἐστιν, ἡ ἄρα ὑπὸ τῆς ΓΑ εὐθείας καὶ τῆς ΑΔ[Γ] περιφερείας περιεχομένη ἐλάττων ἐστὶν ὀρθῆς. Ἐν κύκλῳ ἄρα ἡ μὲν ἐν τῷ ἡμικυκλίῳ γωνία ὀρθή ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ μείζονι τμήματι ἐλάττων ὀρθῆς, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐλάττονι [τμήματι] μείζων ὀρθῆς, καὶ ἔτι ἡ μὲν τοῦ μείζονος τμήματος [γωνία] μείζων [ἐστὶν] ὀρθῆς, ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἐλάττονος τμήματος [γωνία] ἐλάττων ὀρθῆς: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.[Πόρισμα. Ἐκ δὴ τούτου φανερόν, ὅτι ἐὰν [ἡ] μία γωνία τριγώνου ταῖς δυσὶν ἴση ᾖ, ὀρθή ἐστιν ἡ γωνία διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν ἐκείνης ἐκτὸς ταῖς αὐταῖς ἴσην εἶναι: ἐὰν δὲ αἱ ἐφεξῆς ἴσαι ὦσιν, ὀρθαί εἰσιν.]
In a circle the angle in the semicircle is right, that in a greater segment less than a right angle, and that in a less segment greater than a right angle; and further the angle of the greater segment is greater than a right angle, and the angle of the less segment less than a right angle. Let ABCD be a circle, let BC be its diameter, and E its centre, and let BA, AC, AD, DC be joined; I say that the angle BAC in the semicircle BAC is right, the angle ABC in the segment ABC greater than the semicircle is less than a right angle, and the angle ADC in the segment ADC less than the semicircle is greater than a right angle. Let AE be joined, and let BA be carried through to F. Then, since BE is equal to EA, the angle ABE is also equal to the angle BAE. [I. 5] Again, since CE is equal to EA, the angle ACE is also equal to the angle CAE. [I. 5] Therefore the whole angle BAC is equal to the two angles ABC, ACB. But the angle FAC exterior to the triangle ABC is also equal to the two angles ABC, ACB; [I. 32] therefore the angle BAC is also equal to the angle FAC; therefore each is right; [I. Def. 10] therefore the angle BAC in the semicircle BAC is right. Next, since in the triangle ABC the two angles ABC, BAC are less than two right angles, [I. 17] and the angle BAC is a right angle, the angle ABC is less than a right angle; and it is the angle in the segment ABC greater than the semicircle. Next, since ABCD is a quadrilateral in a circle, and the opposite angles of quadrilaterals in circles are equal to two right angles, [III. 22] while the angle ABC is less than a right angle, therefore the angle ADC which remains is greater than a right angle; and it is the angle in the segment ADC less than the semicircle. I say further that the angle of the greater segment, namely that contained by the circumference ABC and the straight line AC, is greater than a right angle; and the angle of the less segment, namely that contained by the circumference ADC and the straight line AC, is less than a right angle. This is at once manifest. For, since the angle contained by the straight lines BA, AC is right, the angle contained by the circumference ABC and the straight line AC is greater than a right angle. Again, since the angle contained by the straight lines AC, AF is right, the angle contained by the straight line CA and the circumference ADC is less than a right angle.[Porism. From this it is manifest that, if one angle of a triangle be equal to the other two, the first angle is right because the exterior angle to it is also equal to the same angles, and if the adjacent angles be equal, they are right.]