Statistics, 3E

CHAPTER10

The Poisson Probability Distribution

In This Chapter

• Describe the characteristics of a Poisson process
• Calculate probabilities using the Poisson equation
• Use the Poisson probability tables
• Use Excel to calculate Poisson probabilities
• Use the Poisson equation to approximate the binomial equation

Now that we have mastered the binomial probability distribution, we are ready to move on to the next discrete theoretical distribution, the Poisson. This probability distribution is named after Simeon Poisson, a French mathematician who developed the distribution during the early 1800s.

The Poisson distribution is useful for calculating the ...