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How to Draw a Normal Distribution in Excel

A normal distribution is a distribution of a continuous variable. Continuous variables include height, weight and income, and anything that is measured on a continuous scale. The normal distribution is the "bell-shaped" curve; many variables are distributed approximately normally, including many physical traits such as height or weight, and also variables such as IQ. You can create a graph of a normal distribution in Excel.

Instructions

- 1
  Enter column headings. In cell A1, put "multiplier"; in B1, put "X"; in C1, put "Mean"; in D1, put "Standard Deviation"; and in E1, put "Normal."
- 2
  Decide on the mean and standard deviation you want for your distribution. For example, IQ has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
- 3
  Enter the mean and standard deviation. Put the mean in cell C2 and the standard deviation in cell D2. Copy these to cells C3 and D3.
- 4
  Enter multiplier. In cell A2 put -4, in cell A3 put =a2+.1.
- 5
  Enter the normal distribution. In cell E2 put =norm.dist(b2, c2, d2, FALSE). Copy this to cell E3.
- 6
  Copy the third row to rows 4 through 82.
- 7
  Highlight columns B and E.
- 8
  Make a chart. Click "Insert," "Scatter," "Scatter with smooth lines." This will create a normal distribution graph.

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