Spinning Electrons

Abstract

IN view of the letters recently published in NATURE upon the subject of rotating electrons, it may be of interest to mention some attempts made four years ago to use this idea in explaining the stability of the nucleus. It is common knowledge that the fact that nuclei can exist despite their excess positive charge cannot be explained without introducing hypotheses outside the classical electrodynamics. Whilst the electrostatic attractions which would lead to collapse of matter may be balanced by the centrifugal acceleration of the particles on stationary quantised orbits, no inertia effect can compensate the electrostatic repulsion which should lead to the explosion of the nucleus.