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PROPOSITION 24.

Similar segments of circles on equal straight lines are equal to one another.

For let AEB, CFD be similar segments of circles on equal straight lines AB, CD;
I say that the segment AEB is equal to the segment CFD.

For, if the segment AEB be applied to CFD, and if the point A be placed on C and the straight line AB on CD,

the point B will also coincide with the point D, because AB is equal to CD;

and, AB coinciding with CD, the segment AEB will also coincide with CFD.

For, if the straight line AB coincide with CD but the segment AEB do not coincide with CFD, it will either fall with it, or outside it;
or it will fall awry, as CGD, and a circle cuts a circle at more points than two : which is impossible. [III. 10]

Therefore, if the straight line AB be applied to CD, the segment AEB will not fail to coincide with CFD also;

therefore it will coincide with it and will be equal to it.

Therefore etc. Q. E. D. 1

1 fall awry, παραλλάξει, the same word as used in the like case in I. 8. The word implies that the applied figure will partly fall short of, and partly overlap, the figure to which it is applied.

Euclid. Euclid's Elements. Sir Thomas Little Heath. New York. Dover. 1956.

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