Subject Statistics and Probability Teacher Broadcaster Kevin T.

Boiser
Module Quarter 3, Module 3 Writer Kevin T. Boiser
Episode 1 Executive Producer
Airing Date Segment Producer
Lesson Title The Normal Distribution Program Manager

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Time AUDIO
TRT TEXTS / SLIDE No. Slides
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SEGMENT 1 - Introduction
A marvelous day to you, young Stat Warriors! This is Teacher
Kevin by the way, your guide in an exciting and amazing Stat
Venture.

Join me in another productive time for another lesson that

will somehow stimulates your interests on the realities we
found in our nature. Lets’ Go!
Segment 2 - Short Review
In the previous lessons, we used graphs of samples of Slide 1 TB at the left side
discrete data to find a probability distribution with the same
pattern that is used to calculate probabilities of the
population to help us make decisions and predictions
concerning about the population. The important terms like
RANDOM VARIABLES (DISCRETE OR CONTINUOUS),
CONSTRUCTING PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS,
COMPUTING THE MEAN AND THE VARIANCE OF THE
PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION were emphasized.
Segment 3 – Learning Competencies and Objectives
Do you still remember taking an achievement test? Slide 2 TB at the left side

How about measuring your height and weight during the

first quarter of the school year which is used to compute
your BMI?

Have you ever made inferences about your grades, or

standings on your class?
Have you thought what are these for?
 This lesson will direct us to appreciate and answer those
queries you have. In this video lesson, we will consider a
distribution concerning with the continuous one. This
distribution is called as the normal probability distribution or
simply known as normal curve.

The normal curve is frequently used as a mathematical

model in inferential statistics. Through this, the inferences
we make regarding with the population can be visualized.

This video also deals with the concepts and processes

regarding the normal curve distribution.

At the end of this lesson, my dear students you are expected

to be able to:
 illustrate a normal random variable and its
characteristics;
 identify regions under the normal curve
corresponding to different standard normal values;
 convert a normal random variable to a standard
normal variable and vice versa; and
 compute probabilities and percentiles using the
standard normal table.
Segment 4 – Content 1 (Normal Probability Distribution)
Let us start by observing this given distribution.
Consider this set of data about the weight of 20 SHS
students in BTHS. Construct a histogram for the random
variable.
Weight (kg) Frequency TB is at the left side
53 1
54 2
55 4
56 6
57 4
58 2
59 1
By the way what kind of random variable is the weight?
If your answer is continuous, you are correct because it is
measurable.
What is the mean of the distribution?
The mean is 56 kg.

What have you noticed on the two sides of the distribution?

The distribution from the center to the right is the MIRROR
of the distribution from the center to the left.

Now, let us define what is the Normal Probability

Distribution.

 It is a probability distribution of a continuous

random variables.
 It shows graphical representations of random
variables obtained through measurement (the
height and weight of the students, the percentile
ranks of the A&E (Accreditation and Equivalency)
Test result of the ALS students or any data with the
values of interval scale of real numbers)
 It is also used to describe the characteristics of
populations and making inferences.

The graphical representation is popularly known as a normal

curve.

Let us go back to the histogram we constructed earlier.

Since this represents the height, then it is an example of the
graphical representation of the normal probability
distribution or a normal curve.

The normal curve has its own properties.

Now I want you to observe the normal curve closely.

1. What can you say about the shape of the normal curve?
Can you think of some objects that resembles its shape?

That is right, it looks like a bell. So, that is the first property.
The distribution curve is bell-shaped.
2. How about the shape of the curve with respect from its
center? What can you say about its left side and right-side
portion?

You got it right, they are somehow equal. That is, the curve
is symmetrical about its center.
This means that if we draw a segment form the peak of the
curve to the horizontal axis, the segment divides the normal
curve into two equal areas portions.

3. Let us go back again to the histogram. Earlier, we

computed that the mean is 56 kg. What will be the value in
the middle if we arrange the all the values in increasing
order?

That is good. the value is 56. The median is 56 kg.

What value appears most in the distribution?

The value with the highest frequency is 56 which is the mode
of the distribution.

What have you noticed on the mean, median, and mode?

If your observation is, they are equal and found at the
center, then you got it right!

So, that explains the next property. The mean, the median
and the mode coincide at the center.

4. Observe this normal curve. What symbol do you see in the

label below the normal curve? If you say standard deviation,
you got it!
The width of the curve is determined by the standard
deviation of the distribution.

5. What have you noticed towards the opposite end of the

distribution?
The tails of the curve flatten out indefinitely along the
horizontal axis, always approaching the axis but never
touching it. That is, the curve is asymptotic to the base line.
5. The area under the curve is 1. Thus, it represents the
probability, or proportion, or the percentage associated
with specific sets of measurement values.

The normal distribution with a mean of zero and a standard

deviation of 1 is called the standard normal distribution. It is
presented where the center of the curve is 0 which is the
mean and added 1 unit to the right and subtracted 1 unit to
the left.

The shape of the normal distribution is determined by the

mean and standard deviation of the distribution.

When comparing two distributions each described by the

normal curve, the following three scenarios will be observed.

1. First, when the means are not equal, but the standard
deviation are equal, what have you observed of the normal
curve?
Exactly, the curves have similar shape but centered at
different points.

2. Second, when the means are equal, but the standard

deviation are not equal, what have you observed of the
normal curve?
If your observation is that the curves are centered at the
same point, but they have different heights and width, that
is awesome!

3. Last, when the means and the standard deviation are

different, what have you observed of the normal curve?
The curves are centered at different points and they vary in
shapes. If you have the same observation as mine, you are
doing great!

We can easily understand the functions of normal

probability distribution in real life situations using empirical
rule. The empirical rule is better known as 68% - 95% -
99.70% rule.
This rule states that the data in the distribution lies within
1, 2, and 3 standard deviation from the mean are
approximately 68%, 95%, and 99.70% respectively.

The area of the normal curve is equal to 1 or 100% as stated

in its properties. There are only few data which belongs to
0.30% outside from the 3 standard deviations from the
mean. That means it comprises 0.15% on both sides.

Example:
The score of the Senior High School students in their
Statistics and Probability quarterly examination are normally
distributed with a mean of 35 and standard deviation of 5.
a. What percent will fall within the score 30 to 40?
b. What scores fall within 95% of the distribution?

To answer this, let us draw a standard normal curve and plot

the mean at the center. Then, add three times the given
standard deviation to the right of the mean and subtract 3
times to the left.

The illustration is provided.

a. The scores 30 to 40 falls within the first standard deviation
of the mean. Therefore, it is approximately 68% of the
distribution
b. Since 95% lies within the 2-standard deviation of the
mean, then the corresponding scores of this distribution are
from 25 up to 45.

Also, in the distribution, most of the scores obtained by the

students are concentrated mostly at the center and a few
are located on the extremes of the distribution.

We can easily identify the areas in the normal curve using

the Table of Areas Under the Normal Curve or also known as
the z-table. The value from this table will describe the area
specific region of the curve to the left of the given z-value.
 But have you wondered how to use this table to find the
area under the normal curve?

Let us have an example. For instance, we are to find the area

to the left of -1.53. First, split the given z-value into two
parts, the ones and tenths, and the hundredths. Then, the
intersection of this columns and rows with respect these
values will be the area of the normal curve to the left of the
given z-value. Thus, the area to the left of -1.53 is 0.0594.

Note that the area under the normal curve will always be
less than 1 since the total area is 1.
Segment 5 – Content 2 (Understanding z – scores)
Now, let us consider a more organized way of finding the TB at the left side
area. To be able to find the area of the corresponding z-
value, we need to consider several steps.

1. Draw/sketch a normal curve and locate the given z-value

on the normal curve
2. Shade the region of the curve according to the condition
of z-value whether it is below, above or between.
Below meaning the left side of the z-value is shaded,
above means the right-side of the z-value is shaded, and
between the shaded area is between the two z-values.
3. Use the table of the area under the normal curve to find
the corresponding area. We have already shown the
steps earlier.
4. Choose the appropriate operation based on step 2 and 3
4.1. When the z-value is to the left or any related
terms (e.g. below, less than) just write the value
we obtained in step 3
4.2. When the z-value is to the right or any related
terms (e.g. above, greater than), subtract 1 by the
obtained value in step 3
4.3. When the shaded region is in between of the two
z-value, subtract the biggest by smallest value
 obtained in step 3
5. Label the shaded region.

Example 1: Find the area that corresponds below z=−1.35

Step 1. Draw/sketch a normal curve and locate the given z-
value. -1.35 is located on the left side from the mean and
draw a vertical line from that point.

Step 2: Shade the region of the curve. Since it says below,

we have to shade to the left side from the given z-value.

Step 3. Use the table of the area under the normal curve to
find the corresponding area. We have to divide -1.35 into
two parts, -1.3 and 0.05. Locate the first part on the left
most column and the second part on the uppermost row
found in the z-table and locate their intersection. The
intersection between -1.3 and 0.05 is 0.0885.

Step 4. Choose the appropriate operation based on step 2

and 3. Since the shaded region of the curve is to the left of
the z= -1.35 and the intersection between -1.3 and 0.05 is
0.0885. Therefore, the area of the shaded region is 0.0885

Step 5. Label the shaded the region.

Example 2. Find the area to the right of z=-1.35

Step 1. Draw/sketch a normal curve and locate the given z-
value. -1.35 is located on the left side from the mean and
draw a vertical line from that point.

Step 2: Shade the region of the curve. Since it says to the

right, we have to shade to the right side from the given z-
value.

Step 3. Use the table of the area under the normal curve to
find the corresponding area. We have to divide -1.35 into
two parts, -1.3 and 0.05. Locate the first part on the left
most column and the second part on the uppermost row
found in the z-table and locate their intersection. The
intersection between -1.3 and 0.05 is 0.0885.

Step 4. Choose the appropriate operation based on step 2

and 3. Since the shaded region is to the right of z-value, we
will subtract 0.0885 to 1. The difference is 0.9915

Step 5. Label the shaded the region.

TB at the center

Example 3: Find the area between z = -1.30 and z = 2

Step 1. Draw/sketch a normal curve and locate the given z-
values. -1.30 is located on the left side and z=2 is on the right
side from the mean and draw two vertical lines from these
points.

Step 2: Shade the region of the curve. Since it says between,

we have to shade the area between the given two z-values.

Step 3. Use the table of the area under the normal curve to
find the corresponding area. We have to divide -1.3 into two
parts, -1.3 and 0.00. Locate the first part on the left most
column and the second part on the uppermost row found in
the z-table and locate their intersection. The intersection
between -1.3 and 0.05 is 0.0885. Same with 2.00, the area is
0.9772

Step 4. Choose the appropriate operation based on step 2

and 3. Since the shaded region is within the two z-value,
subtract 0.9772 by 0.0968. The difference is 0.8804

Step 5. Label the shaded the region.

In solving real-life problems involving the normal curve, it is
particularly important to convert the random variable into
the standard normal variable or z-score. This procedure is
known as standardizing or standardization of normal
variable where a standardized value is called the z-score. The
z-score is the measure of standard deviation of a particular
data value is away from the mean.

Assume that the scores are normally distributed with mean

equals 30 and the standard deviation of 5. We wish to
locate the score of 40 in the distribution.
Let us start by constructing the normal curve first. Since the
mean is 30, that means one standard deviation away from
the mean would be 30 + 5 is 35 and 30 – 5 is 25. Similarly,
the values two standard deviation away from the mean are
30 +2(5) is 40 and 30 - 2(5) equals 20. Lastly, the values three
standard deviation away from the mean are 30 +3(5) is 45
and 30 - 3(5) equals 15.

Now let us go back to the problem. How is 40 located with

respect to the mean?

40 is located on the right side of the mean and is 2 standard

deviation away from it. Do we have the same observation?
Take note that the scores above the mean have positive
standard deviation while the scores below the mean have a
negative standard deviation.

What is the importance of the z-scores? Raw scores may be

composed of large values, but large values cannot be
accommodated at the base line of the normal curve. So, they
have to be transformed into scores for convenience without
sacrificing meanings associated with the raw scores.
The formula for calculating z is:

X −μ where:
z=
σ X = given measurement
(z-score for population μ = population mean
data) σ = population standard
deviation

X −X X = sample mean
z=
s S = sample standard
(z-score for sample data) deviation

Example 1:
Given the mean μ = 50 and the standard deviation,
σ = 4 of a population of Reading scores. Find the z-value that
corresponds to a score X = 58.

Solution:
Given: μ = 50; σ = 4; X = 58
X −μ
z=
σ
58−50
z=
4
8
z=
4
z=2

Thus, the z-value that corresponds to the raw score 58 is 2 in

a population distribution. It is above the mean. So we can
say that, with respect to the mean, the score 58 is above
average.

Example 2:
The heights of teachers in Sta. Catalina National High
 School are normally distributed with a mean of 150 cm and
standard deviation of 15 cm. The height of Sir Victor has a z-
score of 3.25. What is the actual height of Sir Victor?

Solutions:
In this example, z-score is given while the normal
random variable is unknown. To solve for the normal
random variable x, multiply the z-score (z) by the standard
deviation σ , then add the mean μ. Therefore;
x = zσ + μ
= 3.25(15 cm) + 150 cm
= 48.75 cm + 150 cm
= 198.75 cm
So, the actual height of Sir Victor is 198.75 cm.
Segment 6 – Content 3 (Identifying Regions of Areas Under the Normal Curve)
A normal distribution curve can be used as a Teacher broadcaster at the left
probability distribution curve for normally distributed
variables. The area under the standard normal distribution
curve can also be thought of as a probability. That is, if it
were possible to select any z value at random, the
probability of choosing one, say, at the left of 1.45 would be
the same as the area under the curve at the left of 1.45. In
this case, the area is 0.9265. Therefore, the probability of
randomly selecting a z value at the left of 1.45 is 0.9265 or
92.65%. The problems involving probabilities and percentiles
are solved in the same manner as finding the areas under a
normal curve.

For any set of measurements, a percentile (or a

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.
For example, in a test of Algebra, you got a score of
82 and you want to know how you fared in comparison with
your classmates. If your teacher tells you that you scored at
the 90th percentile, it means that 90% of the scores were
lower than yours and 10% were higher. If the relative
frequency histogram were used to show the scores, the 90 th
percentile would be located at a point such that 90% of the
total area under the relative frequency histogram lies below
the 90th percentile and 10% lies above.

There are three important things to remember when

we are given probabilities and we want to know their
corresponding z-scores.

 First, a probability value corresponds to an area

under the normal curve
 Second, 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 numbers in the body of
table are areas or probabilities.
 Third, the z-scores to the left of the mean are
negative values.

Let us consider an example.

Example: Find the 89th percentile of a normal curve.
Step 1: Draw the appropriate normal curve.
Step 2: Express the given percentage as probability. 89 th
percentile means 89% and 0.8900 in decimal form.
Step 3: Refer to the Table of Areas under the Normal Curve.
Locate the area 0.8900 in the body of table. This area is not
found in the table. It is closer to 0.8907.
Step 4: Find the z-score that corresponds to 0.8907 on the
leftmost column and the uppermost row. This area
corresponds to z = 1.23.
Step 5: Locate z = 1.23 under the curve in Step 1 and make a
statement. The 89th percentile is z = 1.23
Step 6: Draw a line through under the curve in Step 1. Shade
the region to the left of z = 1.23.
Step 7: Describe the shaded region. The shaded region is
 89% of the distribution.
Segment 7 – Summing up
To wrap up this video lesson, let us have a short summary of Slide 22
the topic.
 Normal Probability Distribution is a probability
distribution of a continuous random variables. It
shows graphical representations of random variables
obtained through measurement.
 The properties of the normal curve are:
 Bell-shaped
 Symmetric about the center
 mean, the median and the mode coincide at
the center
 width of the curve is determined by the
standard deviation
 curve is asymptotic to the base line
 area under the curve is 1

 The empirical rule states that the data in the

distribution lies within 1, 2, and 3 standard deviation
from the mean are approximately 68%, 95%, and
99.70% respectively.

 The formula for calculating z is:

where:
X −μ X = given measurement
z=
σ μ = population mean
(z-score for population σ = population standard
data) deviation

X −X X = sample mean
z=
s S = sample standard
(z-score for sample data) deviation
 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.
Segment 8 - Assessment
Try to answer these questions. You may pause the video or a
 while for you to spare more time to answer these. Are you
ready? Here they are.

1. IQ scores of the ALS students in the Division of Bohol are

normally distributed with a mean of 110 and a standard
deviation of 10. What percent of the distribution falls within
the IQ scores of 100 to 130?

2. The time it takes for a cell to divide is normally distributed

with an average of 60 minutes and standard deviation of 5
minutes. How long will it take for a given cell to divide if its
mitosis has a z-score of -1.35?

3. Find the upper 10% of the normal curve.

Segment 9 – Answer
Try to check what have you done so far. I am going to
present the solution here.

For number 1, first is draw a normal curve with mean at the

center and label the horizontal axis and divide them equally
into 3 segments on the left and right side. Assign the mean
110 at the center. Since the standard deviation is 10, that
means the score 1 standard deviation to the right of mean is
110 + 10 = 120 and to the left of mean is 110 – 10 is 100. Do
the same process with the scores on 2 and 3 standard
deviations to the left and right of the mean. The score 100 is
1 standard deviation to the left of the mean while 130 is 2
standard deviation to the right from the mean. Apply the
empirical rule. The area between 0 and -1 is 34% while the
area between 0 and 2 is 47.5%. Add the two, 34% + 47.5% =
81.5%

2. Solve this using the formula X = zσ + μ. Substitute z = -

1.35, σ =5 and μ=60.
X = zσ + μ
= (-1.35)(5) + 60
= -6.75 + 60
= 53.25 minutes
Do not forget the unit!
 3. Find the upper 10% of a normal curve.
Step 1: Draw the appropriate normal curve.
Step 2: Express the given percentage as probability. The
upper 10% is the same as 90% or 90th percentile 0.9000 in
decimal form.
Step 3: Refer to the Table of Areas under the Normal Curve.
Locate the area 0.9000 in the body of table. This area is not
found in the table. It is closer to 0.8997.
Step 4: Find the z-score that corresponds to 0.8997 on the
leftmost column and the uppermost row. This area
corresponds to z = 1.28.
Step 5: Locate z = 1.28 under the curve in Step 1 and make a
statement. The 90th percentile is z = 1.28.
Step 6: Draw a line through under the curve in Step 1. Shade
the region to the left of z = 1.28.
Step 7: Describe the shaded region. The shaded region is
90% of the distribution.
Segment 10 – Closing and Quote
Great Job Stat Warriors! Today is amazing. Always
remember, if you are trying to be normal, you will never
know how amazing you can be.

I am looking forward to see you in our next video lesson.

Take care!