The Poisson process describes a set of independent points occurring over time or space. The process derives its name from the fact that the number of points in any given finite region follows a Poisson distribution, i.e., events occur continuously and independently at a constant average rate.

Examples

Common real-world examples include:

• Radioactive decay events
• Customer arrivals at a service centre
• Emails received per hour
• Accidents at an intersection per day
• Phone calls to a call centre