This function returns the Poisson distribution.
Syntax
POISSON(nevents,mean,cumulative)
Remarks
This function has these arguments:
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
| nevents | Number of events Provide an integer, or the value is truncated. The number must be greater than zero. |
| mean | Expected numeric value The number must be greater than zero. |
| cumulative | Set to TRUE to return the cumulative Poisson probability that the number of random events occurring is between zero and nevents inclusive. Set to FALSE to return the Poisson probability mass function that the number of events occurring is exactly nevents. |
Remarks
The cumulative Poisson probability is calculated as follows:
The Poisson probability mass function is calculated as follows:
where x is the number of events (nevents argument), mu is the mean (mean argument).
Data Types
Accepts numeric data for all arguments. Returns numeric data.
Examples
POISSON(A3,B4,TRUE)
POISSON(R1C2,3,FALSE)
POISSON(7,4,TRUE) gives the result 0.948866384
POISSON(7,4,FALSE) gives the result 0.059540363
Version Available
This function is available in product version 1.0 or later.
See Also
BINOMDIST | GAMMADIST | HYPGEOMDIST | Statistical Functions