Illustrating a Normal

Random Variable and its

Characteristics
Let’s have a review first. Read the following statements carefully
and determine whether it is TRUE or FALSE. Write the word TRUE
if it is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect, then modify the
statement to make it true.
TRUE
________________1. Probability is the value greater than or equal to
zero but less than or equal to one.
FALSE
________________2. Discrete variables are the infinite numerical
values like heights, weights, distance and length
TRUE
________________3. 34% is also equal 0.34.
FALSE
________________4. Mean, mode and standard deviation are the
measures of central tendency.
TRUE
________________5. Mean is equal to the summation of scores
divided by the number of cases.
The following items show four pictures
captured by the author during his travel in
the different places and constructed using
GeoGebra application which represents a
common object. Analyze the group of
pictures carefully then identify the common
object they represent. Write your answer by
filling in the empty boxes below each item.
A hint is also provided for you.
Area
curve
Asymptote
Bell-Shape
Symetric
Normal Probability
Distribution is a
probability distribution of
continuous random
variables.
Properties of Normal Curve
The graphical representation of
the normal distribution is
popularly known as
a normal curve. The normal
curve is described clearly by the
following characteristics
1. The normal curve is
bell-shaped.
2. The curve is symmetrical about its
center. This means that, if we draw a
segment from the peak of the curve
down to the horizontal axis, the segment
divides the normal curve into two equal
parts or areas.
3. The mean, median, and mode
coincide at the center. This also
means that in
a normal distribution, or a
distribution described by a
normal curve, the
mean, median, and mode are
equal.
4. The width of the
curve is determined by
the standard deviation
of the
distribution.
5. The tails of the curve are plotted in
both directions and flatten out
indefinitely
along the horizontal axis. The tails are
thus asymptotic to the baseline. A
portion of the graph that is asymptotic
to a reference axis or another graph is
called an asymptote, always
approaching another but never touching
it.
6. The total area under a normal
curve is 1. This means that the
normal curve
represents the probability, or the
proportion, or the percentage
associated with
specific sets of measurement
values.
A normally distributed random variable
with a mean μ = 0 and standard
deviation ơ = 1 is called a standard
normal variable. It is presented using
standard normal distribution where the
center of the curve is zero, which is
mean and added one unit from the
center to the right and subtract one unit
from the center to the left.
c. When the means are different and the
standard deviations are also
different (μ ≠ μ ơ ≠ ơ ), the curves are centered at
1 2; 1 2

different points and

vary in shapes, as shown in figure 6.
 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 one (1), two (2), and three (3)
of the
standard deviation from the mean are
approximately 68%, 95%, and 99.70%,
respectively.
 EMPIRICAL RULE
Since the area of a normal curve is equal to
1 or 100% as stated on its
characteristics, there are only a few data
which is 0.30% falls outside the 3-standard
deviation from the mean. For instance, the
distribution of the grades of the Senior High
School students in Statistics and Probability
for the Third Quarter is shown
below in Figure 7.
 68% of data lies within 1 standard
deviation from the mean have a grade of
83 to 91
 95% of data lies within 2 standard
deviations from the mean have a grade of
79 to 95
 99.70% of data lies within 3 standard
deviations from the mean have a grade of
83 to 9
Illustrative Example 1:
The scores of the Senior High School
students in their Statistics and
Probability quarterly examination are
normally distributed with a mean of 35 and a
standard deviation of 5.
Answer the following questions:
a. What percent of the scores are between 30
to 40?
b. What scores fall within 95% of the
distribution?
Illustrative Example 1:
The scores of the Senior High School
students in their Statistics and
Probability quarterly examination are
normally distributed with a mean of 35 and a
standard deviation of 5.
Answer the following questions:
a. What percent of the scores are between 30
to 40?
b. What scores fall within 95% of the
distribution?
Answer:
a. The scores 30 to 40 falls within the first
standard deviation from the mean.
Therefore, the scores that fall between 30
and 40 is approximately 68% of the
distribution.
b. Since 95% of the distribution lies within 2
standard deviations from the mean, then the
scores corresponding to this area of the
distribution are scores from 25 up to 45.
Illustrative Example 2:
The district nurse of Candelaria East needs
to measure the BMI (Body Mass Index) of the
Alternative Learning System students. She
found out that the heights of male students
are normally distributed with a mean of 160
cm and a standard deviation of 7 cm. Find
the percentage of male
students whose height is within 153 cm to
174 cm.
Solution: The mean of this
problem is 160, it is subtracted
by 7 to the left (e.g. 160
-7 = 153; 153-7 = 146; 146 – 7
= 139) and add 7 to the right.
(e.g. 160 + 7 = 167; 167
+ 7 = 174 + 7 = 181).
As stated in figure 8, 153 cm falls at 1
standard deviation from the mean to
the left and the height of 174 cm falls
at 2 standard deviations from the
mean to the
right. Therefore, it covers the whole
68% and 13.5%. of the distribution
and the sum
of it is 81.5%
ANSWER: 81.5% of the male students
have a height between 153 cm to 174
cm.
168-258
1. A normal random variable
is a set of a numerical value
of continuous random
variables which is normally
distributed.
2. Normal Distribution is a
probability distribution of
continuous random variables.
It also represents the probability,
or the proportion, or the
percentage associated
with specific sets of measurement
values.
3. A normal curve has the following characteristics:
a. It should be bell-shaped and symmetric about its center.
b. Both sides of the tails of a normal curve do not touch the
horizontal axis.
c. In the horizontal axis, use 0 at the center where the mean is
located and
use 1, 2, and 3 to the right and -1, -2 and -3 to the left. But
still,
remember there is an integral part of each number. However, it
is not
limited to the -3 and 3, it is extended indefinitely
d. The distances between numbers in the horizontal line or the
x-axis are
always equal.
4. Empirical rule. This rule states
that the data in the distribution
lies within the 1,
2, and 3 of the standard deviation
of the mean.
5. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of
data lies within 1 standard
deviation from the mean.
6. Ninety-five percent
(95%) of data lies within
the 2-standard
deviation from the
mean.
7. Ninety-nine and seven-
tenths percent (99.70%) of
data lies within the 3-
standard
deviation from the mean.