Poisson distribution

American  

[pwah-sohn, pwa-sawn] / pwɑˈsoʊn, pwaˈsɔ̃ /

noun

Statistics.

1. a limiting form of the binomial probability distribution for small values of the probability of success and for large numbers of trials: particularly useful in industrial quality-control work and in radiation and bacteriological problems.

---

Poisson distribution British  

/ ˈpwɑːsən /

noun

1. statistics a distribution that represents the number of events occurring randomly in a fixed time at an average rate λ ; symbol P 0 ( λ ). For large n and small p with np = λ it approximates to the binomial distribution Bi ( n,p )

---

Poisson distribution Scientific  

/ pwä-sôn′ /

1. A probability distribution which arises when counting the number of occurrences of a rare event in a long series of trials. It is named after its discoverer, French mathematician and physicist Siméon Denis Poisson (1781–1840).

---

Etymology

Origin of Poisson distribution

1920–25; named after S. D. Poisson (1781–1840), French mathematician and physicist

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Poisson distribution

In order to use the Poisson distribution, certain assumptions must hold.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

If these assumptions hold, then the number of events per unit time follows a Poisson distribution with mean μ.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

In a way, the Poisson distribution can be thought of as a clever way to convert a continuous random variable, usually time, into a discrete random variable by breaking up time into discrete independent intervals.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

Now we find that the Poisson distribution can provide an approximation for the binomial.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

A mathematical analysis showed the number of coincidences followed a Poisson distribution very closely.

From Disturbing Sun by Richardson, Robert S. (Robert Shirley)