Normal Distributions.PPT

The Normal Curve A mathematical model or and an idealized conception of the form a distribution might have taken under certain circumstances. Mean of any distribution has a Normal distribution (Central Limit Theorem) Many observations (height of adults, weight of children in California, intelligence) have Normal distributions Shape Bell shaped graph, most of data in middle Symmetric, with mean, median and mode at same point Percent of Values Within One Standard Deviations Percent of Values Within Two Standard Deviations Percent of Values Within Three Standard Deviations Percent of Values Greater than 1 Standard Deviation Percent of Values Greater than -2 Standard Deviations Percent of Values Greater than +2 Standard Deviations Data in Normal Distribution Properties Of Normal Curve Normal curves are symmetrical. Normal curves are unimodal. Normal curves have a bell-shaped form. Mean, median, and mode all have the same value. Standard Scores One use of the normal curve is to explore Standard Scores. Standard Scores are expressed in standard deviation units, making it much easier to compare variables measured on different scales. There are many kinds of Standard Scores. The most common standard score is the ‘z’ scores. A ‘z’ score states the number of standard deviations by which the original score lies above or below the mean of a normal curve. The Z Score The normal curve is not a single curve but a family of curves, each of which is determined by its mean and standard deviation. In order to work with a variety of normal curves, we cannot have a table for every possible combination of means and standard deviations. The Z Score What we need is a standardized normal curve which can be used for any normally distributed variable. Such a curve is called the Standard Normal Curve. The Standard Normal Curve The Standard Normal Curve (z distribution) is the distribution of normally distributed standard scores with mean equal to zero and a standard deviation of on