Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,918,216,901 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

bell curve
(redirected from The bell-shaped curve)

   Also found in: Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
bell curve or bell-shaped curve (blshpt)
n.
The symmetrical curve of a normal distribution. Also called normal curve.

bell curve
A symmetrical bell-shaped curve that represents the distribution of values, frequencies, or probabilities of a set of data. It slopes downward from a point in the middle corresponding to the mean value, or the maximum probability. Data that reflect the aggregate outcome of large numbers of unrelated events tend to result in bell curve distributions. The Gaussian or normal distribution is a mathematically well-defined bell curve used in statistics and in science generally.
click for a larger image
bell curve
graph showing the distribution of a set of test scores where the average grade is a C


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Dictionary browser?   Full browser?
 
The company used a rule of thumb--a methodology often referred to as the bell-shaped curve approach--stating that VSOE exists when at least 80% of separately sold products are priced within a plus/minus 15% band.
In the diagram, envision the bell-shaped curve being squeezed toward its center, where the mean is located.
If the bell-shaped curve held true, the bulk of coffee would fall into the average, or mediocre category, with a very small percentage of "bad ccoffee" at the bottom of scale.
 
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.