Poisson Distribution Watercolor Flowers Unisex T-shirt

Not available in stores.

People will be struck by the simple elegance of this watercolor and ink flower print. Then they’ll notice something else is going on. What does Le Puissant Poisson mean in English? Answer: The Mighty Poisson.

Makes an elegant gift for statisticians, scientists, mathematicians, and six sigma experts.

Then you’ll have an impressed admirer in the palm of your hands as you explain the significance of this graceful design, which is the strength and beauty of statistics. 

Offered in two heather colors and two solids.

The artwork, by Polish painter Bea Dąbrowska, includes twenty-six flowers. Each bloom or bud positioned to represent a point on the distribution. Seven orange irises for λ = 1, nine red amaryllis for λ = 2, and ten yellow canna lilies for λ = 3. The horizontal axis is the index k, the number of occurrences. λ is the expected rate of occurrences.

#IYKYK. If you don’t know...

We always capitalize “Poisson” in honor of Siméon Denis Poisson, a mathematical genius and prodigy. The professors at the École Polytechnique in Paris were learning from this guy as much as the other way. Yes, this discrete probability distribution is named for the brilliant Frenchman, but the basics of the discrete distribution were discovered by Abraham de Moivre 126 years before Poisson published his findings on the matter. And 80 years after that, William Sealy Gosset discovered the very same discrete probability distribution on his own. And we think it’s reassuring that three brilliant minds landed on this universal truth independently.

We at Quality Improvement Curiosities appreciate the Poisson because it helps work around a problem that the binomial distribution can’t handle. The Poisson distribution answers the question, “What is the probability that a specific number of random but specific events will occur in a specific period of time (or space, but usually time)?” Two of those specifics are determined by whomever is asking the question. The third is determined by history. λ (Greek lower case lambda) is that average rate.

For instance, if we knew that the average number of patients arriving at a blood lab on a weekday morning between 8:00 and 10:00 AM is 9 (λ = 9) this math can tell us the probability of exactly 9 patients arriving in that window (p = 13%) or 14 (3%), or any number. Probably more useful is the cumulative of these probabilities. With an average of 9, the chance of 14 or more patients is only 4%. This info is useful to a manager staffing the lab for weekday mornings.

This comfy shirt is soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. 

LIMITED TIME ONLY! Offered exclusively to QI Curiosities customers.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Blank product sourced from Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, or the US
• Artist: Bea Dąbrowska (Poland)

Our shirts are made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

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