Why Random Events Cluster: Poisson Clumping

Have you ever wondered why buses often arrive together? We expect them to arrive at

perfectly even intervals, like clockwork. But true randomness rarely looks like a neat,

orderly pattern. If each arrival is independent, some minutes will be empty,

while others catch several. This naturally creates long quiet gaps followed by sudden

bursts or clumps. Our brains mistake a constant average for a regular, predictable rhythm.

In mathematics, this clustering of random events is called Poisson clumping. It explains everything

from bus schedules and email bursts to shark sightings. Next time things bunch up,

ask yourself: is there a cause, or just randomness?