R E F E R E N C E S
Norm n [L norma, lit., carpenter's square] [1821] 1: an authoritative standard: Model 2: a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior 3: Average: as a: a set standard of development or achievement usu. derived from the average or median achievement of a large group b: a pattern or trait taken to be typical in the behavior of a social group c: a widespread practice, procedure, or custom: Rule [standing ovations became the __] 4a: a real-valued nonnegative function defined on a vector space and satisfying the function of the product of a scalar and a vector is equal to the product of the absolute value of the scalar and the function of the vector, and the functon of the sum of two vectors is less than or eq ual to the sum of the squares of the abslute values of the elements of a matrix or of the components of a vector b: the greatest distance between two successive points of a set of points that partition an interval into smaller intervals
-syn. see Average
Normal adj [L normalis, fr. norma] [ca. 1696] 1: Perpendicular; esp: perpendicular to a tangent at a point of tangency 2a: according with, constituting, or not deviatng from a norm, rule, or principle b: conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern 3: occuring naturally [__ immunity] 4a: of, relating to, or characterized by average intelligence or development b: free from mental disorder: sane 5a of a solution: having a concentration of one gram equivalent of solute per liter b: containing neither basic hydroxyl nor acid hydrogen [__silver phosphate] c: not associated [__molecules] d: having a straight -chain structure [__pentane] [__butyl alcohol] 6 of a subgroup: having the property that every coset produced by operating on the left by a given element is equal to the coset produced by operating on the right by the same element 7: relating to, involving, or being a normal curve or normal distribution [__approximation to the binomial distribution] 8 of a matrix: having the property of commutativity under multiplication by the transpose of the matrix each of whose elements is a conjugate complex number with respect to the corresponding element of the given matrix -syn. see regular -normality n -normally adv
2 Normal n [ca 1738] a1: a normal line b: the portion of a normal line to a plane curve between the curve and the x-axis 2: one that is normal 3: a form or state regarded as the norm: Standard
Normal curve n [1894]: the symmetrical bell-shaped curve of a normal distribution
Normal distribution n [1897] : the state or fact of being normal approximates the distribution of many random variables [as the proportion of outcomes of a particular sort in a large number of independent repetitions of an experiment in which the probabilities remain constant from trial to trial] . . . .
[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield, MA, USA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1995.]
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