CHAPTER 2: NORMAL
DISTRIBUTION
P R E S E N T E R : I VO N N E E . S E M I L A
Lesson 1: Understanding the normal
curve distribution
Lesson 2: Understanding the z-scores
Lesson 3: Identifying the regions of
areas under the normal curve
Lesson 4: Determining probabilities
Lesson 5: Locating percentiles under
the normal curve
Lesson 6: Applying the normal curve
concepts in problem solving
Lesson 1
Understanding the
Normal Curve
Distribution
In reality, if a distribution consists of a very large
number of cases and the three measures of
averages(mean, median, and mode) are equal, then
the distribution is symmetrical and the skewness is 0.
In statistics, such distribution is called normal distribution
or simply normal curve.
PROPERTIES OF THE NORMAL
PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION
1. The distribution curve is bell-
shaped.
2. The curve is symmetrical about its
center.
3. The mean, median, and the mode
coincide at the center.
4. The width of the curve is
determined by the standard
deviation of the distribution.
PROPERTIES OF THE
NORMAL PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTION
5. The tails of the curve flatten out
indefinitely along the horizontal axis,
always approaching the axis but never
touching it.
6. The area under the curve is 1. Thus, it
represents the Probability or Proportion
or the percentage associated with
specific sets of measurement values.
TABLE OF AREAS UNDER
THE NORMAL CURVE (Z-TABLE)
X − X −X
z= or z=
Four-Step Process
SD
Step 1: Express Step 2: Using the
in Finding the the given value z-table, find the
Areas Under the
Normal Curve into a three- first two digits on
Given a z-value digit form the left column
A Standard NC is a
Step 4. Read the area(or Step 3. Match the normal probability
probability) at the third digit with the
intersection of the row appropriate distribution that has a
and the column. This is column on the mean μ=0 and a
the required area. right
standard deviation σ=1.
EXERCISE 1
Find the area(probability)
given the following z-scores.
•Between z=0 and z=2.3
•Below z=1.22
•Above z=2.67
EXPLORING
THE Z-SCORE X − X −X
z= or z=
SD
The z-score
The areas under the normal curve are given in
terms of z-values or scores. Either the z-score locates
X within a sample or population.
What is the importance of z-scores?
EXPLORING THE Z-SCORE
The z-values are matched with specific
areas under the normal curve in a
normal distribution table.The z-value
leads to the area under the curve found
in the normal curve table, which is a
probability, and that probability gives the
desired percentage for X.
Example:
1. Reading Scores
Given the μ=50 and σ=4. Find the
z-value that corresponds to a score X=58.
EXPLORING THE
Z-SCORE
2. Score in Statistics Quiz
Locate the z-value that
corresponds to Statistics score of 39
given that μ=45 and σ=6.
3. Scores in Science Test
Given X=20, x=26 and s=4.
Compute the corresponding z-score.
The phrases below average and above average familiar
expressions. People frequently use these to describe
academic performance.
Suppose you have the population values 50 and
80 and that their corresponding z-scores are -1
and 2, respectively. Is it possible to determine the
population’s mean and standard deviation? If so,
what are these values? If not, explain why it is
impossible.
There are three grades in a report card that you
want to interpret in terms of performance:
Mathematics(75), English(85), and Science(90).
The means are 72, 83, and 88, respectively. Is the
information sufficient for you to compare the
grades? If so, discuss your processes. If not, explain
why it is impossible.
DETERMINE EACH OF THE FOLLOWING
AREAS AND SHOW THESE GRAPHICALLY
Between z=- Between z=- Between
Above Below
0.59 and z=- 0.82 and z=0.77 and
z=1.47 z=0.59
1.47 z=1.85 z=2.89
To the right of To the left of At most z=-
At least z=2 At least z=-2
z=1.37 z=2.77 1.7
LOOK BACK AND REFLECT
WHAT PROBABILITY HOW DOES THE GRAPH EXPLAIN YOUR PROCEDURE.
EXPRESSION IS EQUIVALENT LOOK LIKE?
TO P(|Z|>1.96)?
NORMAL
DISTRIBUTION
PERCENTILES AND
A P P L I C AT I O N
LOCATING PERCENTILES UNDER THE NORMAL
CURVE
‘First ‘Top five’ ‘a score
honor’ of 98%’
For any set of measurement, a percentile(or centile) is a point
in the distribution such that a given number of cases is
below it. A percentile is a measure of relative standing. It is
a descriptive measure of the relationship of a measurement
to the rest of the data.
Suppose that we know the probability this time. What is the
corresponding z-score?
For example, where is 95% under the normal curve?
3 significant things to remember
❑A probability value corresponds to an area under the normal curve.
❑In the table of areas under the normal curve, the numbers in the
extreme left and across the top are z-scores, which are the distances
along the horizontal scale.
❑The z-scores to the left of the mean are negative values.
Example 1. Find the 95th percentile of a
normal curve.
Analysis: By definition of
𝑃95 , this means locating an area
before the point. We want to know the
z-value is at this point.
1. Shade the region to the left of z=1.645.
Example 2. Find the upper
10% of the normal curve.
2. Shade the region to the
right of z=1.28.
Example 3. The results of a nationwide aptitude test in
Mathematics are normally distributed with m=80 and
s=15. What is the percentile rank of a score of 84?
Analysis:__________________
The percentile rank of the score of 84 in a test is
60.64.
EXERCISE
Find each of the following percentile points
under the normal curve.
1. 𝑃99
2. 𝑃90
3. 𝑃32
APPLING THE NORMAL CURVE
CONCEPTS IN PROBLEM SOLVING
Checkpt 1.
X − X −X
Modify the z= or z=
SD
formula
to
solve for X.
Example 1.
The results of a nationwide aptitude test in
Mathematics are normally distributed with m=80
and s=15. Find the raw score such that 70% of the
cases are below it.
In the distribution, 70% of the scores are below
the score 88.
PRACTICE PROBLEMS
1. Most graduate schools of business require
applicants for admission to take the Graduate
Management Admission Council’s GMAT
examination. Scores on the GMAT are roughly
normally distributed with a mean of 527 and a
standard deviation of 112. What is the probability
of an individual scoring above 500 on the GMAT?
2. How high must an individual score on the GMAT in
order to score in the highest 5%?
PRACTICE PROBLEMS
3. The length of human pregnancies from conception to
birth approximates a normal distribution with a mean
of 266 days and a standard deviation of 16 days. What
proportion of all pregnancies will last between 240 and
270 days (roughly between 8 and 9 months)?
4. What length of time marks the shortest 70% of all
pregnancies?
PRACTICE PROBLEMS
5. The average number of acres burned by forest and
range fires in a large New Mexico county is 4,300 acres
per year, with a standard deviation of 750 acres. The
distribution of the number of acres burned is normal.
What is the probability that between 2,500 and 4,200
acres will be burned in any given year?
6. What number of burnt acres corresponds to the 38th
percentile?
Example 2.
The results of a nationwide aptitude test in
Mathematics are normally distributed with m=80 and
s=15. What is the score that divides the distribution
such that 99% of the cases is below it?
USING PROBABILITIES TO DETERMINE
FREQUENCIES
Example: Given 10,000 scores in PreCalculus. The
distribution of scores is normally shaped with μ=100 and
σ=14. What are the scores that corresponds to each unit of z-
scores?
2. The weights of 1,000 children average 50kg and the standard
deviation is 5kg. How many children weigh between 40 kg and
55kg?
3. In a job fair, 3000 applicants applied for a job. Their mean age
was found to be 28 with a standard deviation of 4years.
a. Draw a normal curve distribution showing the z-scores and
the raw scores.
b. How many applicants are below 20years old?
c. How many applicants are above 32 years old?
d. How many have ages between 24 and 32 years?
e. Find the age such that 75% is below it.
4. Five hundred children participated in a field
demonstration. Their heights averaged 110 cm with a
standard deviation of 6cm.
a. What is the probability that a child, picked at random, has
a height greater than 116cm?
b. What is the probability that the height of a child, picked
at random, is less than 104 cm?
c. How many children belong to the upper 15% of the
group?
Try this!
A division-wide aptitude test in Mathematics was conducted to
1000 pupils. The mean of the test is 58 and the standard
deviation is 12. The scores also approximate the normal
distribution. What is the minimum score to belong to the upper
10% of the group?
