Returns the Poisson distribution. A common application of the Poisson distribution is predicting the number of events over a specific time, such as the number of cars arriving at a toll plaza in 1 minute.
Syntax
POISSON(x,mean,cumulative)
X is the number of events.
Mean is the expected numeric value.
Cumulative is a logical value that determines the form of the probability distribution returned. If cumulative is TRUE, POISSON returns the cumulative Poisson probability that the number of random events occurring will be between zero and x inclusive; if FALSE, it returns the Poisson probability mass function that the number of events occurring will be exactly x.
Remarks
- If x is not an integer, it is truncated.
- If x or mean is nonnumeric, POISSON returns the #VALUE! error value.
- If x < 0, POISSON returns the #NUM! error value.
- If mean ≤ 0, POISSON returns the #NUM! error value.
- POISSON is calculated as follows.
For cumulative = FALSE:
For cumulative = TRUE:
Example
The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.
How?- Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
- Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.
Selecting an example from Help
- Press CTRL+C.
- In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
- To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.
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