QUESTION:
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?
CHIOMA MICHAELSON
SundayJan 17 at 9:23pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Hello Dr. Phan and class
Many methods exist for testing whether a variable has a normal distribution,
and they include:
1) Histogram: The histogram shows the distribution of a variable. It gives
the frequency of occurrence per value in the dataset. It gives the visual of
the data distribution.
2) Boxplot: Helps visualize the distribution of multiple variables at the same
time. It plots the 5-number summary of a variable: minimum, first quartile,
median, third quartile and maximum.
3) QQ Plot: QQ stands for Quantile vs Quantile Plot. It plots theoretical
quantiles against the actual quantiles of the variable. The QQ Plot shows the
deviation of a normal distribution much better than in a Histogram or Box
Plot.
