The following thesis comprises calculations and discussion pertaining to the hypothesis of a spinning electron, chiefly for hydrogen-like atoms.
Part I is a historical introduction.
Part II contains results obtained in the spring of 1926, and presented to the Oakland meeting of the American Physical Society in the following June. The calculations are based on classical mechanics, the final results being obtained by an artificial modification. These results are discussed and shown to completely represent the observations; they are equivalent to those of other investigators.
Part III, which was worked out in 1927 and published in preliminary form in the Proceedings of the National Academy for June of that year, treats the same problem in wave mechanics. The results are not satisfactory, owing to a difficulty also encountered by others.
Part IV is a conclusion, in which some very recent developments are briefly referred to.
