In gravitation, Chasles' theorem says that the Newtonian gravitational attraction of a spherical shell, outside of that shell, is equivalent mathematically to the attraction of a point mass.
[1] The theorem is conventionally known as Newton's shell theorem, but is attributed to Michel Chasles (1793–1880) by Benjamin Peirce.
Benjamin Peirce followed Chasles work on that developed an analogy between conduction of heat and gravitational attraction: The Chaslesian shell is the figure that Peirce exploits:[3] Chasles' theorem as expressed by Peirce:[4] The ellipsoid is recruited to bound the Chaslesian shells:[5]
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