The normal distribution,

or bell curve, is most

familiar and useful to
teachers in describing
the frequency of
standardized test scores.
The mean of the distribution
determines the location of the
center of the graph while the
standard deviation determines
the height and width of the
graph. The total area under
the normal curve is always
equal to 1.
Let us now understand
the relevance of this topic
in our daily lives.
First example of the
application of normal
distribution is the Height
of the Population. Most of
the people in a specific
population are of average
height.
The number of people taller and
shorter and the average height people
are almost equal. It is very small
number of people that are either
extremely tall or extremely short.
However, height is not a single
characteristic, several genetic and
environmental factors influence
height. Therefore, it follows the
normal distribution.
Second is the Intelligent Quotient level
or the IQ. Well, the IQ of a particular
population is a normal distribution
curve; where IQ of a majority of the
people in the population lies in the
normal range whereas the IQ of the
rest of the population lies in the
deviated range.
Third is the shoe size. Have you wondered
what would have happened if the glass
slipper left by Cinderella at the prince’s
house fitted another woman’s feet? He
would have ended up marrying another
woman. It has been one of the amusing
assumptions we all have ever come
across. As per the data collected in the
US, female shoe sales by size is normally
distributed because the fitting of most
women is almost the same.
Fourth is the birth weight. The normal
birth weight of a newborn range from
2.5 to 3.5 kg. The majority of
newborns have normal birthweight
whereas only a few percentage of
newborns have a weight higher or
lower than the normal. Hence, birth
weight also follows the normal
distribution curve
And lastly, the student’s average report.
Nowadays, schools are advertising their
performances on social media and TV. They
present the average result of their school and
allure parents to get their child enrolled in
that school. School authorities find the
average academic performance of all the
students, and in most cases, it follows the
normal distribution curve. The number of
average intelligent student is higher than
most other students.
SAMPLE PROBLEM:
Entry to a certain University is
determined by a national test. The scores
on this test are normally distributed with
a mean of 500 and a standard deviation
of 100. Tom wants to be admitted to this
university and he knows that he must
score better than at least 70% of the
students who took the test. Tom takes the
test and scores 585. Will he be admitted
to this university?
Let x be the random variable that
represents the scores. x is normally
ditsributed with a mean of 500 and a
standard deviation of 100. The total
area under the normal curve
represents the total number of
students who took the test. If we
multiply the values of the areas under
the curve by 100, we obtain
percentages.
For x = 585 , z = (585 - 500) / 100 =
0.85
The proportion P of students who
scored below 585 is given by
P = [area to the left of z = 0.85] =
0.8023 = 80.23%
Tom scored better than 80.23% of the
students who took the test and he will
be admitted to this University.
For a certain type of computers,
the length of time bewteen
charges of the battery is normally
distributed with a mean of 50
hours and a standard deviation of
15 hours. John owns one of these
computers and wants to know the
probability that the length of time
will be between 50 and 70 hours.
Let x be the random variable that represents the
length of time. It has a mean of 50 and a standard
deviation of 15. We have to find the probability that
x is between 50 and 70 or P( 50< x < 70)
For x = 50 , z = (50 - 50) / 15 = 0
For x = 70 , z = (70 - 50) / 15 = 1.33 (rounded to 2
decimal places)
P( 50< x < 70) = P( 0< z < 1.33) = [area to the left of
z = 1.33] - [area to the left of z = 0]
= 0.9082 - 0.5 = 0.4082
The probability that John's computer has a length
of time between 50 and 70 hours is equal to
0.4082.
REFERENCES:

https://www.analyzemath.com/statistics/normal_
distribution.html

https://www.mathsisfun.com/data/standard-nor
mal-distribution.html

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFSUKKGwyE/
p4ZUG0bDlKS8O5CPJmWS2g/edit

https://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/stats/normc
urv.html