MATH 225N WEEK 5 DISCUSSION, THE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
Many variables in medicine follow a normal distribution where there are approximately an equal
number of values below the mean as above the mean. Describe two variables that you work with
that would probably follow a normal distribution. Also note which of the two variables would be
likely to have a larger standard deviation and why.
Statistical data is indispensable to physicians, and the knowledge of statistics is essential not only
for research but also for understanding and interpreting information relevant to the practice of medical
science (Holmes, Illowsky, & Dean, 2018; Sarkar, 2014). One of the elements of statistical data is
normality, which is mainly characterized by a distribution that resembles a bell curve that is symmetrical.
Half of the data will fall to the left of the mean; half will fall to the right. Two examples of variables that
would have a normal distribution include systolic blood pressure and height. Systolic blood pressure
readings are normally distributed, especially given that the mean and standard deviation are usually
within the same range for a particular age group. For example, the systolic blood pressure of 18-year-old
women is normally distributed, for instance, the mean is approximately 120 mmHg and standard
deviation of 12 mmHg (Sarkar, 2014; Rivera et al., 2014). Height follows a normal distribution in the
sense that most of the data values tend to cluster around the mean. However, systolic blood pressure
would be likely to have a larger standard deviation because there are many factors that cause pressure to
vary, such as health condition and lifestyle. Height remains fairly constant across age groups (Rivera et
al., 2014).
References
Holmes, A., Illowsky, B. & Dean, S. (2018). Introductory business statistics. Houston, TX: OpenStax
Rivera, A. L., Estanol, B., Senties-Madrid, H., Fossion, R., Toledo-Roy, J. C., Mendoza-Temis, J., ... &
Frank, A. (2016). Heart rate and systolic blood pressure variability in the time domain in patients
with recent and long-standing diabetes mellitus. PloS one, 11(2), e0148378.
This study source was downloaded by 100000859565436 from CourseHero.com on 01-13-2023 15:09:55 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/45661311/MATH-225N-Week-5-Discussiondocx/
Many variables in medicine follow a normal distribution where there are approximately an equal
number of values below the mean as above the mean. Describe two variables that you work with
that would probably follow a normal distribution. Also note which of the two variables would be
likely to have a larger standard deviation and why.
Statistical data is indispensable to physicians, and the knowledge of statistics is essential not only
for research but also for understanding and interpreting information relevant to the practice of medical
science (Holmes, Illowsky, & Dean, 2018; Sarkar, 2014). One of the elements of statistical data is
normality, which is mainly characterized by a distribution that resembles a bell curve that is symmetrical.
Half of the data will fall to the left of the mean; half will fall to the right. Two examples of variables that
would have a normal distribution include systolic blood pressure and height. Systolic blood pressure
readings are normally distributed, especially given that the mean and standard deviation are usually
within the same range for a particular age group. For example, the systolic blood pressure of 18-year-old
women is normally distributed, for instance, the mean is approximately 120 mmHg and standard
deviation of 12 mmHg (Sarkar, 2014; Rivera et al., 2014). Height follows a normal distribution in the
sense that most of the data values tend to cluster around the mean. However, systolic blood pressure
would be likely to have a larger standard deviation because there are many factors that cause pressure to
vary, such as health condition and lifestyle. Height remains fairly constant across age groups (Rivera et
al., 2014).
References
Holmes, A., Illowsky, B. & Dean, S. (2018). Introductory business statistics. Houston, TX: OpenStax
Rivera, A. L., Estanol, B., Senties-Madrid, H., Fossion, R., Toledo-Roy, J. C., Mendoza-Temis, J., ... &
Frank, A. (2016). Heart rate and systolic blood pressure variability in the time domain in patients
with recent and long-standing diabetes mellitus. PloS one, 11(2), e0148378.
This study source was downloaded by 100000859565436 from CourseHero.com on 01-13-2023 15:09:55 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/45661311/MATH-225N-Week-5-Discussiondocx/
