First Known Use: 1922
Dictionary
Poisson distribution
noun Pois·son distribution \pwä-ˈsōⁿ-\
Definition of POISSON DISTRIBUTION
: a probability density function that is often used as a mathematical model of the number of outcomes obtained in a suitable interval of time and space, that has its mean equal to its variance, that is used as an approximation to the binomial distribution, and that has the form 
is the mean and x takes on nonnegative integral values
is the mean and x takes on nonnegative integral values ADVERTISEMENT
Origin of POISSON DISTRIBUTION
Siméon D. Poisson †1840 French mathematician
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