Density Curves and Normal Distributions

Ever wonder how statisticians describe the overall shape of data? A density curve is a smooth curve that shows the pattern of a distribution. These curves always sit above the horizontal axis and have a total area of exactly 1 underneath them, making them perfect for representing probability.

On a density curve, the mean (μ) is the balancing point of the curve, while the median divides the area under the curve into two equal parts. For symmetric curves, these values are the same, but for skewed distributions, they differ.

Normal distributions are the most important type of density curves. These bell-shaped curves are completely defined by just two numbers: the mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ). The standard deviation tells you how far from the center the curve begins to change its curvature. Normal distributions are written as N(μ,σ).

Quick Tip: When you see a symmetric, bell-shaped curve, you're looking at a normal distribution. The area under any section of the curve represents the proportion of values that fall in that range.

The 68-95-99.7 Rule

The 68-95-99.7 rule (also called the Empirical Rule) is your best friend for quickly understanding normal distributions. This rule tells you that approximately 68% of values fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, 95% fall within 2 standard deviations, and 99.7% fall within 3 standard deviations.

Let's see this in action: When looking at Kobe Bryant's 2008-2009 regular season scoring (mean 26.8 points, standard deviation 8.6 points), about 69.5% of his games were within one standard deviation of his mean. This closely matches the expected 68%!

You can use this rule to make quick estimates. For example, if ITBS vocabulary scores follow N(6.84, 1.55), then about 2.5% of scores are less than 3.74 (which is 2 standard deviations below the mean). Similarly, about 81.5% of scores fall between 5.29 and 9.94.

Remember: The 68-95-99.7 rule works for any normal distribution, regardless of its mean and standard deviation. It's an essential shortcut for solving probability problems!

Finding Mean and Standard Deviation

Sometimes you'll need to work backward - finding the mean and standard deviation when you know certain percentiles. For example, if blood glucose levels are normally distributed and the middle 95% of values fall between 70 and 110 mg/dL, you can calculate:

Mean (μ) = (70 + 110)/2 = 90 mg/dL Standard Deviation (σ) = (110 - 90)/2 = 10 mg/dL

The standard normal distribution is a special normal distribution with mean 0 and standard deviation 1. It's incredibly useful because any normal distribution can be converted to the standard normal by using the formula:

z = $x - μ$/σ

This z-score tells you how many standard deviations a value is from the mean. For example, a z-score of 1.5 means the value is 1.5 standard deviations above the mean.

Pro Tip: Converting to z-scores allows you to use standard tables or calculators to find probabilities for any normal distribution. Master this skill and you'll be able to solve a wide range of problems!

Finding Probabilities Using Standard Normal

Finding probabilities (proportions or percentages) in normal distributions becomes simple once you understand how to use tables or calculators. There are two main approaches:

Using Table A: This standard normal table shows the area under the curve to the left of any z-score. Find your z-score on the left and top margins, then read the corresponding probability. For example, the area to the left of z = 0.56 is 0.7123.

Using a Graphing Calculator: The normalcdf function makes this even easier. Just input the lower and upper boundaries, with mean 0 and standard deviation 1.

You can find various types of probabilities:

• Less than a value: Find area to the left
• Greater than a value: Calculate 1 - (area to the left)
• Between two values: Find the difference between the two areas

You can also work backward! If you know a probability and want to find the corresponding value, use invNorm on a calculator or look for the closest value in Table A. For example, to find the z-score where 92% of values fall below it, you'd get z = 1.41.

Calculator Tip: The normalcdf function takes four inputs: lower bound, upper bound, mean, and standard deviation. To find areas under the standard normal curve, use mean=0 and std=1.

Special Percentiles and Finding Values

Understanding percentiles in normal distributions helps you interpret scores in context. For instance, if Tracy's blood glucose level is at the 85th percentile, it's 1.04 standard deviations above the mean $z = 1.04$.

Important percentile locations to remember:

• The 1st quartile (25th percentile) is at approximately z = -0.6745
• The 3rd quartile (75th percentile) is at approximately z = 0.6745
• About 50% of a normal distribution falls within 0.6745 standard deviations of the mean

When solving normal distribution problems, follow this structured approach:

1. State: Identify the distribution (mean and standard deviation) and what you're looking for
2. Plan: Draw the normal curve with the area of interest shaded
3. Do: Calculate z-scores and find areas, or use invNorm to find values
4. Conclude: Answer the question in context

Test Success Strategy: When solving normal distribution problems on tests, follow the "State-Plan-Do-Conclude" method. This organized approach helps prevent mistakes and ensures you answer the actual question being asked.

Normal Distribution Problem Examples

Let's apply our knowledge to Rafael Nadal's first serve speeds at Wimbledon 2008. Assume they follow N(115, 6) mph.

To find the proportion of serves below 120 mph:

1. Calculate the z-score: z = (120-115)/6 = 0.83
2. Find the area to the left of z = 0.83 using Table A: 0.7967
3. Conclusion: About 79.67% of serves are below 120 mph

For the percent of serves between 100 and 110 mph:

1. Use normalcdf(100, 110, 115, 6) = 0.1961
2. Conclusion: About 19.61% of serves are between 100 and 110 mph

To find the speed of the fastest 30% of serves:

1. The fastest 30% means we want the 70th percentile
2. Use invNorm(0.70, 115, 6) = 118.15
3. Conclusion: The fastest 30% of serves are at least 118.15 mph

This problem-solving approach works for any normal distribution question. The key is identifying what you're looking for $an area/percentage or a value$ and using the appropriate calculation method.

Real-World Connection: Statistics like these help coaches and players understand performance patterns. A player might adjust their strategy after learning that only 20% of serves exceed a certain speed!

More Normal Distribution Problems

Continuing with Nadal's serve speed example $N(115, 6) mph$, let's find the interquartile range (IQR):

1. Find Q1 (25th percentile): invNorm(0.25, 115, 6) = 110.95 mph
2. Find Q3 (75th percentile): invNorm(0.75, 115, 6) = 119.05 mph
3. Calculate IQR = Q3 - Q1 = 119.05 - 110.95 = 8.1 mph

Now let's tackle a more challenging problem: If another player has a standard deviation of 8 mph and 20% of his serves go less than 100 mph, what's his average serve speed?

1. Find the z-score for the 20th percentile: invNorm(0.20, 0, 1) = -0.84
2. Use the z-score formula to solve for μ: -0.84 = (100 - μ)/8
3. Multiply both sides by 8: -6.72 = 100 - μ
4. Solve for μ: μ = 106.72 mph

This approach shows how z-scores help us work backwards from percentages to find unknown parameters of a normal distribution.

Problem-Solving Strategy: When working backwards to find the mean or standard deviation, first find the relevant z-score, then set up an equation using the z-score formula and solve for the unknown parameter.

Assessing Normality

Not all data follows a normal distribution, so how do you tell if your data is approximately normal? There are three key methods:

1. Plot the data: Make a dotplot, stemplot, or histogram and check if it's symmetric and bell-shaped.

2. Check the 68-95-99.7 rule: Count the observations within 1, 2, and 3 standard deviations of the mean. If the percentages are close to 68%, 95%, and 99.7%, your data might be normally distributed.

3. Examine a Normal probability plot: This special graph plots your data against what would be expected in a normal distribution. If points form a roughly straight line, your data is probably normally distributed.

Let's look at refrigerator capacity data $mean = 15.825 cubic feet, standard deviation = 1.217 cubic feet$. The histogram looks roughly symmetric and bell-shaped, suggesting normality.

Data Analysis Tip: Normal probability plots are the most powerful tool for checking normality. Even when a histogram looks "close enough," these plots can reveal subtle deviations that might affect your statistical conclusions.

Completing the Normality Assessment

Continuing our analysis of the refrigerator capacity data:

When we check the 68-95-99.7 rule, we find:

• 68% should fall between 14.608 and 17.042 cubic feet
• 95% should fall between 13.391 and 18.259 cubic feet
• 99.7% should fall between 12.174 and 19.476 cubic feet

Counting the actual data points in each range shows percentages very close to the expected values, supporting the normal distribution hypothesis.

Finally, the normal probability plot shows points following a nearly straight line without major deviations or outliers. This is the strongest evidence that the refrigerator capacity data follows a normal distribution.

When all three methods align, you can confidently proceed with statistical techniques that assume normality. If any method shows clear violations, you should consider using non-parametric methods instead.

Why This Matters: Many statistical tests require normally distributed data. If your data isn't normal, using these tests could lead to incorrect conclusions. Always check normality before applying techniques like t-tests or ANOVA.

Chapter 2 Learning Objectives Review

Ready to test your understanding of this chapter? Here are the key skills you should have mastered:

1. Finding and interpreting percentiles within a data distribution
2. Estimating percentiles using cumulative relative frequency graphs
3. Calculating and interpreting standardized scores $z-scores$
4. Understanding how constants affect distribution shape, center, and spread
5. Locating the mean and median on density curves
6. Using the 68-95-99.7 rule for normal distributions
7. Finding proportions and z-scores in the standard normal distribution
8. Working with any normal distribution to find proportions and percentiles
9. Determining if data follows a normal distribution

Each skill builds on previous ones, creating a comprehensive toolkit for analyzing distributions. For example, z-scores help you standardize any normal distribution, while the 68-95-99.7 rule helps you quickly estimate probabilities.

Study Strategy: For each objective, try creating your own example problem and solving it. If you can explain how to solve it to someone else, you've truly mastered the concept!