Book III, Proposition 18

If a straight line touch a circle, and a straight line be joined from the centre to the point of contact, the straight line so joined will be perpendicular to the tangent.

Ἐὰν κύκλου ἐφάπτηταί τις εὐθεῖα, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ κέντρου ἐπὶ τὴν ἁφὴν ἐπιζευχθῇ τις εὐθεῖα, ἡ ἐπιζευχθεῖσα κάθετος ἔσται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐφαπτομένην. Κύκλου γὰρ τοῦ ΑΒΓ ἐφαπτέσθω τις εὐθεῖα ἡ ΔΕ κατὰ τὸ Γ σημεῖον, καὶ εἰλήφθω τὸ κέντρον τοῦ ΑΒΓ κύκλου τὸ Ζ, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζ ἐπὶ τὸ Γ ἐπεζεύχθω ἡ ΖΓ: λέγω, ὅτι ἡ ΖΓ κάθετός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὴν ΔΕ. Εἰ γὰρ μή, ἤχθω ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζ ἐπὶ τὴν ΔΕ κάθετος ἡ ΖΗ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ ὑπὸ ΖΗΓ γωνία ὀρθή ἐστιν, ὀξεῖα ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπὸ ΖΓΗ: ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν μείζονα γωνίαν ἡ μείζων πλευρὰ ὑποτείνει: μείζων ἄρα ἡ ΖΓ τῆς ΖΗ: ἴση δὲ ἡ ΖΓ τῇ ΖΒ: μείζων ἄρα καὶ ἡ ΖΒ τῆς ΖΗ ἡ ἐλάττων τῆς μείζονος: ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον. οὐκ ἄρα ἡ ΖΗ κάθετός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὴν ΔΕ. ὁμοίως δὴ δείξομεν, ὅτι οὐδ' ἄλλη τις πλὴν τῆς ΖΓ: ἡ ΖΓ ἄρα κάθετός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὴν ΔΕ. Ἐὰν ἄρα κύκλου ἐφάπτηταί τις εὐθεῖα, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ κέντρου ἐπὶ τὴν ἁφὴν ἐπιζευχθῇ τις εὐθεῖα, ἡ ἐπιζευχθεῖσα κάθετος ἔσται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐφαπτομένην: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. If a straight line touch a circle, and a straight line be joined from the centre to the point of contact, the straight line so joined will be perpendicular to the tangent. For let a straight line DE touch the circle ABC at the point C, let the centre F of the circle ABC be taken, and let FC be joined from F to C; I say that FC is perpendicular to DE. For, if not, let FG be drawn from F perpendicular to DE. Then, since the angle FGC is right, the angle FCG is acute; [I. 17] and the greater angle is subtended by the greater side; [I. 19] therefore FC is greater than FG. But FC is equal to FB; therefore FB is also greater than FG, the less than the greater: which is impossible. Therefore FG is not perpendicular to DE. Similarly we can prove that neither is any other straight line except FC; therefore FC is perpendicular to DE.

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