FRANKLIN, WILLIAM SUDDARDS American physicist, was born in Geary City, Kansas, on Oct. 27, 1863. He was educated at the University of Kansas (A.B., 1887; M.S., 1888) and Cornell university (Sc.D., 1901). He was as sistant professor of physics at the University of Kansas, 1887 90, and professor of physics at Iowa State college, 1892-97 and at Lehigh university 1897-1915. In 1917 he became professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While having carried on research in many fields of physics, especially in the theory of alternating currents, his chief contribution has been in the field of technical education.
He published Elements of Alternating Currents (with R. B. William son) (2nd ed., 1901) ; Elements of Electricity and Magnetism; Light and Sound; Practical Physics; Electric Waves (19o9) ; Electric Light ing (1912) ; Elements of Calculus; Bill's School and Mine (1913) ; and was joint author of Elements of Electrical Engineering (1906) ; Dyna mos and Motors (1909); Advanced Theory of Electricity and Mag netism (1915) ; Lessons in Heat (1920) ; Transmission Line Theory (1926).