Letters to the Editor

Sir: TABLE 2. (Continued)

I am writing concerning the paper published last year by Number Number of Percent of Observed
Kevin Cook: JASZS, 40(4):277-283, 1989. of Hits Artists Artists CDF
While working through the mathematics, I found that
things didn’t add up! In particular, column 2 of Table 2 9 24 1.04 .9217
doesn’t add up to 2311 as stated in the table and in the 10 28 1.21 .9338
text, but rather adds up to 2313. Table 4 indicates that the 11 16 .69 .9407
value 106 in row 4 should actually be 104. 12 21 .91 .9498
Unfortunately, the author seems to have made this small 13 14 .60 .9559
error early on, as it invalidates a lot of numbers in Tables 2 14 19 .82 .9641
and 3. 15 11 .48 .9688
This doesn’t immediately affect his conclusions, but it may 16 10 .43 .9732
affect the calculation of the theoretical cumulative distribu- 17 3 .13 .9745
tion functions (and so the theo. CDFs) of Table >. Thus it 18 6 .26 .9771
could ultimately have a bearing on the results of the paper. 19 3 .13 .9784
20 3 .13 .9797
21 5 .21 .9818
22 6 .26 .9844
William Loughner
23 1 .04 .9848
Science Library
24 2 .09 .9857
University of Georgia
2.5 2 .09 .9866
Athens, GA 30602
26 3 .13 .9879
27 3 .13 .9892
28 2 .09 .9900
Sir: 29 5 .21 .9922
30 2 .09 .9931
William Loughner is correct in regard to errors made in
31 - .9931
Tables 2 and 3 of my paper in the July 1989 issue of &ISIS.
32 3 .13 .9944
The error changed slightly the values for the slope of the
33 1 .04 .9948
data, for the theoretical cumulative distribution functions,
34 - .9948
and for D,,,. However, the changes were small enough not to
35 4 .17 .9965
affect the paper’s conclusions. Corrected versions of Tables 2
36 2 .09 .9974
and 3 on page 279 are enclosed. I apologize for my error.
37 1 .04 .9978
Thank you.
38 1 .04 .9983
39 1 .04 .9987
40-42 - - .9987
Kevin L. Cook 43 1 .04 .9991
Microforms and Documents Department 44-47 - .9991
Ralph Brown Draughon Library 48 1 .04 .9996
Auburn University 49-106 - .9996
Auburn, AL 36849-3501 107 1 .04 1.0000
Total 2311
TABLE 2. Lotka’s law. Observed cumulative distribution
function.

Number Number of Percent of Observed

of Hits Artists Artists CDF TABLE 3. Lotka’s law. Theoretical cumulative distribution
function.
1 1272 55.04 5504
2 354 15.32 .7036 1.868 1.962 22
3 179 7.74 .7810 .5591(1/x ) .5945(1/x ) 6OO/pi x
4 104 4.50 .8260
5 80 3.46 .8607 Number Theo. Theo. Theo.
6 54 2.34 .8840 of Hits CDF D CDF D CDF D
7 39 1.69 .9009
8 24 1.04 .9113 1 .5591 .0087 .5945 .0441 .6079 .0575
2 .7123 .0087 .7471 .0435 .7599 .0536
3 .7841 .0031 .8160 .0350 .8274 .0464
0 1991 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 4 .8261 .OOOl .8552 .0292 .8654 .0394

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE. 42(2):113-114, 1991 CCC 0002-8231/91/020113-02$04.00
TABLE 3. (Continued)

1.868 1.962 22
.5591(1x .5945(1x 600jpi x

Number Theo. Theo. Theo.

of Hits CDF D CDF D CDF D

5 X538 .0069 .8805 .0198 .8897 .0290

6 .8735 .0105 .8982 .0142 .9066 .0226
7 .8882 .0127 .9113 .0104 .9190 .0181
8 .a997 .0116 .9214 .OlOl .9285 .0172
9 .9089 .0128 .9294 .0077 .9360 .0142
10 .9165 .0173 .9359 .0021 .9421 .0083
11 .9228 .0179 .9413 .0006 .9471 .0064
12 .9282 .0216 .9458 .0040 .9513 .0015
13 .9328 .0231 .9497 .0062 .9549 .OOlO
14 .9368 .0273 .9530 .Olll .9580 .0061
15 .9404 .0284 .9559 .0129 .9607 .0081
16 .9435 .0297 .9.585 .0147 .9631 .OlOl
17 .9463 .0282 .9608 .0137 .9652 .0093
18 .9488 .0283 ,962s .0143 .9671 .OlOO
19 -9511 .0273 .9646 .0138 .9688 .0096
20 .9663 .0134 .9703 .0094
21 .9678 .0140 .9717 .OlOl
22 .9692 .0152 .9729 .0115
23 .9705 .a143 .9740 .0108
24 .9717 .0140 .9750 .0107
25 .9728 .0138 .9760 .0106
26 .9738 .0141 .9769 .OllO
27 .9747 .0145 .9777 .0115
28 .9756 .0144 .9785 .0115
29 .9764 .0158 .9792 .0130
30 .9772 .0159 .9799 .0132
32 .9779 .0165 .9805 .0139
33 .9785 .0163 .9811 .0137
35 .9816 .0149
36 .9821 .0153
37 ,982s .0153
38 .9829 .0154
39 .9833 .0154
43 .9836 .0155
48 .9839 .0157
D max= .0297 D mar= .0441 D rnax= .0575

114 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE--March 1991