Book III, Proposition 5

If two circles cut one another, they will not have the same centre.

Ἐὰν δύο κύκλοι τέμνωσιν ἀλλήλους, οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῶν τὸ αὐτὸ κέντρον. Δύο γὰρ κύκλοι οἱ ΑΒΓ, ΓΔΗ τεμνέτωσαν ἀλλήλους κατὰ τὰ Β, Γ σημεῖα. λέγω, ὅτι οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῶν τὸ αὐτὸ κέντρον. Εἰ γὰρ δυνατόν, ἔστω τὸ Ε, καὶ ἐπεζεύχθω ἡ ΕΓ, καὶ διήχθω ἡ ΕΖΗ, ὡς ἔτυχεν. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ Ε σημεῖον κέντρον ἐστὶ τοῦ ΑΒΓ κύκλου, ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΕΓ τῇ ΕΖ. πάλιν, ἐπεὶ τὸ Ε σημεῖον κέντρον ἐστὶ τοῦ ΓΔΗ κύκλου, ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΕΓ τῇ ΕΗ: ἐδείχθη δὲ ἡ ΕΓ καὶ τῇ ΕΖ ἴση: καὶ ἡ ΕΖ ἄρα τῇ ΕΗ ἐστιν ἴση ἡ ἐλάσσων τῇ μείζονι: ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον. οὐκ ἄρα τὸ Ε σημεῖον κέντρον ἐστὶ τῶν ΑΒΓ, ΓΔΗ κύκλων. Ἐὰν ἄρα δύο κύκλοι τέμνωσιν ἀλλήλους, οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῶν τὸ αὐτὸ κέντρον: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. If two circles cut one another, they will not have the same centre. For let the circles ABC, CDG cut one another at the points B, C; I say that they will not have the same centre. For, if possible, let it be E; let EC be joined, and let EFG be drawn through at random. Then, since the point E is the centre of the circle ABC, EC is equal to EF. [I. Def. 15] Again, since the point E is the centre of the circle CDG, EC is equal to EG. But EC was proved equal to EF also; therefore EF is also equal to EG, the less to the greater : which is impossible. Therefore the point E is not the centre of the circles ABC, CDG.

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