Week 3: Determining Normal Distribution
When trying to determine probabilities, one must first assess whether the variable would
have a normal distribution. Using the tools from this course, what are some methods that
could be used to determine whether a variable has a normal distribution?
Answer:
The distribution function of a random variable is a function used in statistics to show the
probability that an observed value will be found in a particular region of possible values. The
normal distribution is commonly used. A normal distribution is a probability that is symmetric
about the mean. This means that data around the mean are more frequent in occurrence than
those far from the mean. Box plot, histogram, and A P-P plot are some of the methods used to
find out whether a variable has a normal distribution.
The box is a common method used to assess the normality of the data. In this method, the median
is a flat line within the box while the interquartile range is the stretch of the box. A line running
from the bottom and top of the box is used to represent the maximum and minimum
