Pages 53-60

This page-by-page annotation is organized by sections, as delineated by the seven squares (sprockets) which separate each section. The page numbers for this page-by-page annotation are for the original Viking edition (760 pages). Editions by other publishers vary in pagination — the newer Penguin editions are 776 pages; the Bantam edition is 886 pages.

Contributors: Please use a 760-page edition (either the original Viking edition with the orange cover or the Penguin USA edition with the blue cover and rocket diagram — there are plenty on Ebay for around $10) or search the Google edition for the correct page number. Readers: To calculate the Bantam edition use this formula: Bantam page # x 1.165. Before p.50 it's about a page earlier; as you get later in the book, add a page.

Finally, profound thanks to Prof. Don Larsson for providing the foundation for this page-by-page annotation.

Page 54

54.25 Poisson Distribution/Equation
"In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability distribution that expresses the probability of a number of events occurring in a fixed period of time if these events occur with a known average rate and independently of the time since the last event."

For the purpose of comprehension, all that needs to be understood of this distribution is that, given a mean success rate, one can use the distribution to predict the probability of a number of successes other than the mean (here the rocket strikes), when success is very unlikely, but inevitable given a large number of events. To read more, check out the Wikipedia article quoted above: Poisson Distribution at Wikipedia

Poisson distribution. (2008, September 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:45, September 22, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poisson_distribution&oldid=237707448

Page 59

59.01-02 Frank Bridge Variations
The "Frank Bridge Variations" is a composition ("Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge," Opus 10, 1937) by Benjamin Britten, named after one of his teachers. It was one of Britten's first works to win international notice.