Editing 12: Poisson

{{comic
| number    = 12
| date      = December 22, 2005<!-- Per http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http:////www.xkcd.com//Poisson.jpg - at least that was the first crawl date --><!--DO NOT ADD 2006-01-01 - this was NOT the actual post date of the comic, but merely the default date in the xkcd database. These comics do not have a known post date-->
| title     = Poisson
| image     = poisson.jpg
| titletext = Poisson distributions have no value over negative numbers
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] expresses himself as a {{w|Poisson distribution}}.

A Poisson distribution is a distribution that shows the probability of a given number of events occurring in a fixed interval of time or space. The X axis typically represents the "number of events" while the Y axis is a decimal representing the probability (i.e. 0.5 for 50% probability) a given number of events will occur in that fixed interval of time or space. It is commonly represented by a bar graph or a scatter graph (sometimes with a line connection to show a trend, even though there is no actual value for non-integers).

What's important to note for this comic is that this distribution only has data points on non-negative integers and is not continuous through decimal numbers or (as the image text tells us) negative numbers because events can't occur 0.3 of a time, or -2 times.

After implying that the concept of a person being a mathematical distribution is irrational, [[Black Hat]] suggests he is "less than zero". Since the Poisson distribution doesn't exist or has no value at negative values, Cueball either leaves or disappears magically.

Hence, the punchline is the same as the title text: Cueball doesn't exist to Black Hat anymore, because he has a value less than zero. Another one of the early comics where Randall explains the joke in the title text.

Also, because a Poisson Distribution is memoryless, the figure claiming to be the distribution may simply be repeating the fact as a reference to this.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talking to Black Hat]
:Cueball: I'm a poisson distribution!

:Cueball: Still a Poisson distribution!
:Black Hat: What the hell, man. Why do you keep saying that?

:Cueball: Because I'm totally a poisson distribution.
:Black Hat: I'm less than zero.

:[Cueball is gone; Black Hat is whistling.]

==Trivia==
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the [http://www.escologics.com web site] opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with the 41 comics]] posted before that on [[LiveJournal]].
**But this comic, as well as [[5: Blown apart]] also released that day, were never posted on LiveJournal. 
*The release date is given from [http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http:////www.xkcd.com//Poisson.jpg - wayback.archive]. At least the 22nd of December was the first crawl date. 
**This also explains that it was "released" on a Thursday. 
**On xkcd, it was released for the first time to the public on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
*[[Randall]] was still experimenting with character design, as Cueball has a face in the first two frames.
*This is the first appearance of Black Hat on xkcd.
**However Black Hat appeared in [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]], which was released almost 3 months before this one on LiveJournal.

{{Comic discussion}} 

[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]