# normal distribution

noun

## Definition of normal distribution

: a probability density function that approximates the distribution of many random variables (such as the proportion of outcomes of a particular kind in a large number of independent repetitions of an experiment in which the probabilities remain constant from trial to trial) and that has the form {latex}f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi\sigma^{2}}}e^{-\frac{(x - \mu)^{2}}{2\sigma^{2}}}{/latex} where μ is the mean and σ is the standard deviation — compare normal curve

## Examples of normal distribution in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Once supply is less tight and Gilead starts selling the drug in normal distribution channels, the list price for private insurance companies and other commercial payers in the U.S. will be $520 a vial, or$3,120 for a five-day course. Once supply is less tight and Gilead starts selling the drug in normal distribution channels, the list price for private insurance companies and other commercial payers in the U.S. will be $520 a vial, or$3,120 for a five-day course. On a graph, a normal distribution of the likely rise in temperature would look like a hump: a low tail at the left (unlikely), leading to a high hump in the middle (most likely), and a low tail on the right (unlikely). The good news is that most comic publishers (including Image, Marvel, and DC) have announced plans to return to more normal distribution starting in June. The random motion of the balls typically leads to a normal distribution in the slots: most balls fall near the center, and fewer fall toward the sides, tapering off at the edges. As Scott and his colleagues noted in their paper, if a pathogen grows exponentially and a population receives a statistically normal distribution of exposures to it, then a lognormal distribution of incubation times should result. There are many naturally arising normal distributions, like the birth weight of babies and the amount of milk that cows produce. The most famous statistical pattern of all is the normal distribution, which takes the shape of a bell curve and describes the statistical distribution of a wide range of uncorrelated events (like heights in a population or scores on the SAT).

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'normal distribution.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

## First Known Use of normal distribution

1897, in the meaning defined above

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## The first known use of normal distribution was in 1897

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normal equation

## Statistics for normal distribution

Last Updated

5 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Normal distribution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal%20distribution. Accessed 13 Jul. 2020.

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