normden

This function is the normal (or Gaussian) probability density function. The graph of this function is the familiar "bell curve". It returns the value of the slope of the cumulative distribution function at the specified argument value.

Syntax

normden(x,m,s)

The x argument represents the independent variable and can either be a scalar or a range of numbers. If x is a range, then it must be defined by either using braces { } or by specifying a worksheet column. The m argument can be any number and equals the mean of the distribution. The s argument can be any positive number and equals the standard deviation of the distribution.

Example

The density function can be used to estimate the probability that the values of a normally distributed random variable X lie in a small interval. If X has mean 0 and standard deviation 1, then to estimate the probability that the values of X lie between .5 and .6, multiply the density of X at .5 by the length of the interval .1:

normden(.5,0,1) * .1 = .03521

関連情報

• normdist
• normden