Module # 5

THE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

Introduction
In the 18th century, gamblers were interested in the
chances of beating various gambling games and they asked
mathematicians to help them out. De Moivre was the first
to develop the mathematical equation of the normal curve.
In the early nineteenth century, Gauss and Laplace further developed the
concept of the normal curve and probability. It was about the same time
that errors of observation made by astronomers were represented by a
curve of this type. Today the normal curve is referred to as the curve of
error, the bell-shaped figure, the Gaussian curve, or De Moivre’s curve.

C.F. Gauss, photo

from pngegg.com

Learning Content
1. The normal curve and its properties
2. The z-scores and the standard normal curve
3. Areas under the normal curve
4. Applications of the normal curve

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, 98% of the students are expected to:
1. Define a normal curve accurately.
2. Convert a given raw score to its corresponding z-score with 99%
accuracy.
3. Identify areas under the normal curve precisely given a z-score.
4. Create sound recommendations in real-life problems appropriately,
applying the concept of normal distributions.
5. Integrate their knowledge in normal distribution to facilitate decision
making in real-life situation.

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THE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION AND ITS
PROPERTIES
The normal distribution is a probability
function that describes how the values of a
variable are distributed. It is a
symmetric distribution where most of the
observations cluster around the central peak
and the probabilities for values further away
from the mean taper off equally in both directions. The graph of a normal
distribution is called the normal curve. The normal curve is often called the
Gaussian distribution, after Carl Friedrich Gauss, who discovered many of its
properties. A normal distribution has the following properties:

1. It is symmetrical about the mean.

2. The mean is equal to the median, which is also equal to the mode.
3. The tails or ends are asymptotic relative to the horizontal line.
4. The total area under the normal curve is approximately equal to 1 or 100%.
5. The normal curve area may be subdivided into at least three standard
scores each to the left and to the right of the vertical axis.
6. Along the horizontal line, the distance from one integral standard score to
the next integral standard score is measured by the standard deviation.

MATHEMA-TECHS
For more info, try this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rdgdDmyCpg

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THE Z-SCORES AND THE STANDARD NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

A standard normal distribution is a normal

distribution with a mean of 0 and a standard
deviation of 1.

It follows the properties of a normal

distribution, which are:

1. A normal distribution is bell shaped.

2. The mean, median, and mode are equal and are located at the center of
the distribution.

3. A normal distribution is unimodal.

4. The curve is continuous.

5. The curve never touches the x-axis

6. The total area under the normal curve is equal to 1 or 100%.

Any x-value (raw score) can be transformed into a z-score (standard score) by
using the formula:

Example:
Given that 𝜇 = 30 and  = 5, convert the following raw scores to their
corresponding z-scores.

a. X = 30
b. X = 20
c. X = 50

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Solution:

a. X = 30 b. X = 20 c. X = 50
𝑥−𝜇 𝑥−𝜇 𝑥−𝜇
𝑧= 𝑧= 𝑧=
𝜎 𝜎 𝜎
30 − 30 20 − 30 50 − 30
𝑧= 𝑧= 𝑧=
5 5 5

𝑧=0 𝑧 = −2 𝑧=4

Try these:

Given that 𝜇 = 78 and  = 3, convert the following raw scores to their

corresponding z-scores.

1. X = 84
2. X = 72
3. X = 68
4. X = 84
5. X = 92 MATHEMA-TECHS
For more info, try this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tuBREK_mgE&t=42s

AREAS UNDER THE NORMAL CURVE

The area under the standard normal distribution curve can also be
thought of as a probability. That is, if it were possible to select a z value at random ,
the probability of choosing one, say, between 0 and 2.00 would be the same as the
area under the curve between 0 and 2.00. In this case the area is 0.4772. Therefore,
the probability of randomly selecting any z value between 0 and 2.00 is 0.4772.

In finding areas under the standard normal distribution, we are going to

utilize the z-table (see table 1).

Steps In Finding Areas Under The Standard Normal Curve

1. Sketch the standard normal curve and shade the appropriate area under the
curve.

2. Find the area by following the directions for each case shown.

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 a. To find the area to the left of z, find the area that corresponds to z in the
Standard Normal Table.

b. To find the area to the right of z, use the Standard Normal Table to find
the area that corresponds to z. Then subtract the area from 1.

c. To find the area between two z-scores, find the area corresponding to
each z-score in the Standard Normal Table. Then subtract the smaller
area from the larger area.

Example 1. Find the area under the standard normal curve to the left of z = –0.99.

Example 2. Find the area under the standard normal curve to the right of z = 1.06.

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Example 3. Find the area under the standard normal curve between z = –1.5 and z =
1.25.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Solve for the area of the indicated regions under the normal curve.

1. To the left of z = -0.21

2. To the left of z = 0.33
3. To the right of z = -0.58
4. To the right of z = 1.25
5. Between z = -0.24 and z = 1.23 MATHEMA-TECHS
For more info, try this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_KApjpyBHE&t=28s

APPLICATIONS OF THE NORMAL CURVE

Now we finally get to the real reason we study the normal distribution. We want
to be able to answer questions about variables that are normally distributed.
Questions like..

 What proportion of individuals are geniuses?

 Is a systolic blood pressure of 110 unusual?
 What percentage of a particular brand of light bulb emits between 300 and 400
lumens?
 What is the 90th percentile for the weights of 1-year-old boys?

All of these questions can be answered using the normal distribution!

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EXAMPLE 1.

DGP University conducts placement examination to all incoming freshmen. The

examination scores of the 1000 examinees last semester were approximately normally
distributed with mean score of 80 and standard deviation of 5. What is the probability
that randomly chosen student got a score below 70? Above 82? Between 75 and 90?

Solution:

For a score below 70:

1. First convert the raw score to its corresponding z-score.

𝑥−𝜇 70 − 80
𝑧= = = −2.00
𝜎 5

2. Sketch the normal curve to visualize the area needed.

3. Solve for the area of the shaded region then multiply the result with 100 to get its
probability.

𝑃(𝑧 < −2.00) = 0.0228 ∗ 100

𝑃(𝑧 < −2.00) = 2.28%

4. Interpret the results.

This means to say that there is a 2.28% chance that the randomly selected
student will have a score of less than 70.

For a score above 82:

1. First convert the raw score to its corresponding z-score.

𝑥−𝜇 82 − 80
𝑧= = = __________
𝜎 5

2. Sketch the normal curve to visualize the area needed.

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3. Solve for the area of the shaded region then multiply the result with 100 to get its
probability.

4. Interpret the results.

This means to say that there is a _______% chance that the randomly selected
student will have a score of above 82.

The third case (between 75 and 90) will serve as your practice.

TRY THIS OUT.

Applying your knowledge in normal distribution, solve what is asked in the

problem. Show all your complete solution. Final answers should be rounded to the
nearest hundredth.

1. Molly earned a score of 940 on a national achievement test. The mean test score
was 850 with a standard deviation of 100. What proportion of students had a higher
score than Molly? (Assume that test scores are normally distributed.)

2. A manufacturing firm produces LED lamps with a mean lifetime of 900 hours and a
standard deviation of 55 hours. Find the probability that a randomly sample of 100
lamps will last on the average of more than 915 hours.

3. A firms marketing manager believes that total sales for the firm next year can be
modeled using a normal distribution, with a mean of P 2.5 million and a standard
deviation of P300,000.

a) What is the probability that the firm’s sales will exceed P3 million?
b) In order to cover fixed cost, the firm’s sales must exceed the break-even level of
P 1.8 million. What is the probability that sales will exceed the break-even
level?

MATHEMA-TECHS
For more info, try this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMyA8UGQAUQ

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Reference:
Verma J.P. (2019) Normal Distribution and Its Application. In: Statistics and Research Methods in
Psychology with Excel. Springer, Singapore

https://faculty.elgin.edu/dkernler/statistics/ch07/7-2.html

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nctm.org%2FPublications%2FTeaching-
Children-Mathematics%2FBlog%2FThe-Story-of-Gauss%2F&psig=AOvVaw2p-
tiBQtTh_IcMJqrDPqjB&ust=1595007834324000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKj45bCp
0uoCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

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