normal distribution

Save This Word!

noun Statistics.

a theoretical frequency distribution represented by a normal curve.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called Gaussian distribution.

Origin of normal distribution

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby normal distribution

norm, Norma, normal, normal curve, normalcy, normal distribution, normal distribution curve, normal divisor, normal equivalent deviate, normal fault, normality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use normal distribution in a sentence

A normal distribution would resemble a bell curve with a peak around three and a rapidly tapering tail in both directions, meaning the probability of an extreme event declines exponentially as the number of infections moves farther from the average.
Slowing the spread|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The frequency distribution of breeding activity in birds is described by a nonlinear curve (a normal distribution is nonlinear).
The Breeding Birds of Kansas|Richard F. Johnston
Such boon-work was considered as a kind of surplus demand; it exceeded the normal distribution of work.
Villainage in England|Paul Vinogradoff
The idea is but the shadow of the theories of normal distribution mentioned in preceding chapters.
The Settlement of Wage Disputes|Herbert Feis

British Dictionary definitions for normal distribution

normal distribution

noun

statistics a continuous distribution of a random variable with its mean, median, and mode equal, the probability density function of which is given by (exp- [(x –μ)²/2σ²]/σ√(2π)) where μ is the mean and σ² the varianceAlso called: Gaussian distribution

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for normal distribution

normal distribution

[ nôr′məl ]

A theoretical frequency distribution for a set of variable data, usually represented by a bell-shaped curve symmetrical about the mean.