Book III, Proposition 6

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

Ἐὰν δύο κύκλοι ἐφάπτωνται ἀλλήλων, οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῶν τὸ αὐτὸ κέντρον. Δύο γὰρ κύκλοι οἱ ΑΒΓ, ΓΔΕ ἐφαπτέσθωσαν ἀλλήλων κατὰ τὸ Γ σημεῖον: λέγω, ὅτι οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῶν τὸ αὐτὸ κέντρον. Εἰ γὰρ δυνατόν, ἔστω τὸ Ζ, καὶ ἐπεζεύχθω ἡ ΖΓ, καὶ διήχθω, ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἡ ΖΕΒ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ Ζ σημεῖον κέντρον ἐστὶ τοῦ ΑΒΓ κύκλου, ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΖΓ τῇ ΖΒ. πάλιν, ἐπεὶ τὸ Ζ σημεῖον κέντρον ἐστὶ τοῦ ΓΔΕ κύκλου, ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΖΓ τῇ ΖΕ. ἐδείχθη δὲ ἡ ΖΓ τῇ ΖΒ ἴση: καὶ ἡ ΖΕ ἄρα τῇ ΖΒ ἐστιν ἴση, ἡ ἐλάττων τῇ μείζονι: ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον. οὐκ ἄρα τὸ Ζ σημεῖον κέντρον ἐστὶ τῶν ΑΒΓ, ΓΔΕ κύκλων. Ἐὰν ἄρα δύο κύκλοι ἐφάπτωνται ἀλλήλων, οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῶν τὸ αὐτὸ κέντρον: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. If two circles touch one another, they will not have the same centre. For let the two circles ABC, CDE touch one another at the point C; I say that they will not have the same centre. For, if possible, let it be F; let FC be joined, and let FEB be drawn through at random. Then, since the point F is the centre of the circle ABC, FC is equal to FB. Again, since the point F is the centre of the circle CDE, FC is equal to FE. But FC was proved equal to FB; therefore FE is also equal to FB, the less to the greater: which is impossible. Therefore F is not the centre of the circles ABC, CDE.

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