240 THE MATHEMATICAL PRINCIPLE* ffioOK 1. two interior spheroids similar and concentrical to the exterior, the first of which passes through the body P. and cuts the right lines DE, FG in B and C ; arid the latter cuts the same right lines in H and I, K and L. I ,et the spheroids have all one common axis, and the parts of the right lines intercepted on both sides DP and BE, FP and CG, DH and IE, FK and LG, will be mutually equal; because the right lines DE. PB, and HI. are bisected in the same point, as are also the right lines FG, PC, and KL. Conceive now DPF. EPG to represent opposite cones described with the infmitely small vertical angles DPF, EPG, and the lines DH, El to be infinitely small also. Then the particles of the cones DHKF, GLIE, cut off by the spheroidical superficies, by reason of the equality of the lines DH and ET; will be to one another as the squares of the distances from the body P, and will therefore attract that corpuscle equally. And by a like rea soning if the spaces DPF, EGCB be divided into particles by the superfi cies of innumerable similar spheroids concentric to the former and having J. O one common axis, all these particles will equally attract on both sides the body P towards contrary parts. Therefore the forces of the cone DPF. and of the conic segment EGCB, are equal, and by their contrariety de stroy each other. And the case is the same of the forces of all the matter that lies without the interior spheroid PCBM. Therefore the body P is attracted by the interior spheroid PCBM alone, and therefore (by Cor. 3, Prop. 1 , XXII) its attraction is to the force with which the body A is at tracted by the whole spheroid AGOD as the distance PS to the distance AS. Q.E.D. PROPOSITION XCII. PROBLEM XLVI. An attracting body being given, it is required to find the ratio of the de crease of the centripetal forces tending to its several points. The body given must be formed into a sphere, a cylinder, or some regu lar figure, whose law of attraction answering to any ratio of decrease may be found by Prop. LXXX, LXXXI, and XCI. Then, by experiments, the force of the attractions must be found at several distances, and the law of attraction towards the whole, made known by that means, will give the ratio of the decrease of the forces of the several parts ; which was to be found. PROPOSITION XCIII. THEOREM XLVII. If a solid be plane on one side, and infinitely extended on all otljer sides, and consist of equal particles equally attractive, iv hose forces decrease, in the recess from the solid, in the ratio of any power greater than the square of the distances ; and a corpuscle placed towards eit far part of the plane is attracted by the force of the whole solid ; I say that tfie attractive force of the whole solid, in the recess from its platw superfi