The NORMDIST function returns the normal distribution for the specified mean and standard deviation. This function has a wide range of applications in statistics, including hypothesis testing.
Important: This function has been replaced along with other functions that may provide improved accuracy and whose names better reflect their purpose. This function remains available for backward compatibility but may not be available in future versions of Excel. Consider now using the newer functions.
Learn about the new NORM.DIST function here.
Syntax
NORMDIST(x,mean,standard_dev,cumulative)
The NORMDIST function syntax has the following arguments:
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X Required. The value for which you want the distribution
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Mean Required. The arithmetic mean of the distribution
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Standard_dev Required. The standard deviation of the distribution
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Cumulative Required. A logical value that determines the form of the function. If cumulative is TRUE, NORMDIST returns the cumulative distribution function; if cumulative is FALSE, it returns the probability mass function.
Remarks
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If mean or standard_dev is nonnumeric, NORMDIST returns the #VALUE! error value.
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If standard_dev ≤ 0, NORMDIST returns the #NUM! error value.
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If mean = 0, standard_dev = 1, and cumulative = TRUE, NORMDIST returns the standard normal distribution, NORMSDIST.
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The equation for the normal density function (cumulative = FALSE) is:
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When cumulative = TRUE, the formula is the integral from negative infinity to x of the given formula.
Example
Copy the example Data in the following table and paste it into cell A2 through A4 of a new Excel worksheet. Copy the NORMDIST formula examples into any other cells. If you do not automatically see results, select formulas, press F2 and press Enter. Adjust column widths if needed for visibility.
Data |
Description |
|
---|---|---|
42 |
Value for which you want the distribution |
|
40 |
Arithmetic mean of the distribution |
|
1.5 |
Standard deviation of the distribution |
|
Formula |
Description |
Result |
=NORMDIST(A2,A3,A4,TRUE) |
Cumulative distribution function for the terms above |
0.9087888 |
=NORMDIST(A2,A3,A4,FALSE) |
Probability mass function for the terms above |
0.10934 |