Book III, Proposition 11

If two circles touch one another internally, and their centres be taken, the straight line joining their centres, if it be also produced, will fall on the point of contact of the circles.

Ἐὰν δύο κύκλοι ἐφάπτωνται ἀλλήλων ἐντός, καὶ ληφθῇ αὐτῶν τὰ κέντρα, ἡ ἐπὶ τὰ κέντρα αὐτῶν ἐπιζευγνυμένη εὐθεῖα καὶ ἐκβαλλομένη ἐπὶ τὴν συναφὴν πεσεῖται τῶν κύκλων. Δύο γὰρ κύκλοι οἱ ΑΒΓ, ΑΔΕ ἐφαπτέσθωσαν ἀλλήλων ἐντὸς κατὰ τὸ Α σημεῖον, καὶ εἰλήφθω τοῦ μὲν ΑΒΓ κύκλου κέντρον τὸ Ζ, τοῦ δὲ ΑΔΕ τὸ Η: λέγω, ὅτι ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ Η ἐπὶ τὸ Ζ ἐπιζευγνυμένη εὐθεῖα ἐκβαλλομένη ἐπὶ τὸ Α πεσεῖται. Μὴ γάρ, ἀλλ' εἰ δυνατόν, πιπτέτω ὡς ἡ ΖΗΘ, καὶ ἐπεζεύχθωσαν αἱ ΑΖ, ΑΗ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν αἱ ΑΗ, ΗΖ τῆς ΖΑ, τουτέστι τῆς ΖΘ, μείζονές εἰσιν, κοινὴ ἀφῃρήσθω ἡ ΖΗ: λοιπὴ ἄρα ἡ ΑΗ λοιπῆς τῆς ΗΘ μείζων ἐστίν. ἴση δὲ ἡ ΑΗ τῇ ΗΔ: καὶ ἡ ΗΔ ἄρα τῆς ΗΘ μείζων ἐστὶν ἡ ἐλάττων τῆς μείζονος: ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον: οὐκ ἄρα ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζ ἐπὶ τὸ Η ἐπιζευγνυμένη εὐθεῖα ἐκτὸς πεσεῖται: κατὰ τὸ Α ἄρα ἐπὶ τῆς συναφῆς πεσεῖται. Ἐὰν ἄρα δύο κύκλοι ἐφάπτωνται ἀλλήλων ἐντός, [ καὶ ληφθῇ αὐτῶν τὰ κέντρα ], ἡ ἐπὶ τὰ κέντρα αὐτῶν ἐπιζευγνυμένη εὐθεῖα [ καὶ ἐκβαλλομένη ] ἐπὶ τὴν συναφὴν πεσεῖται τῶν κύκλων: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.

If two circles touch one another internally, and their centres be taken, the straight line joining their centres, if it be also produced, will fall on the point of contact of the circles. For let the two circles ABC, ADE touch one another internally at the point A, and let the centre F of the circle ABC, and the centre G of ADE, be taken; I say that the straight line joined from G to F and produced will fall on A. For suppose it does not, but, if possible, let it fall as FGH, and let AF, AG be joined. Then, since AG, GF are greater than FA, that is, than FH, let FG be subtracted from each; therefore the remainder AG is greater than the remainder GH. But AG is equal to GD; therefore GD is also greater than GH, the less than the greater: which is impossible. Therefore the straight line joined from F to G will not fall outside; therefore it will fall at A on the point of contact.

index prev next | digilib folio 54