How to Sketch a Normal Curve in Excel
- 1). Launch Microsoft Excel and open a new worksheet.
- 2). Enter the x values of your normal curve into Column A, starting with A1. For example, if your x values were from -5 to 5, enter "-5" in cell A1, "-4.5" in cell A2, etc., continuing through cell A21, in which you would enter "5."
- 3). Enter the y values in Column B. Input "=NORMDIST(A1,0,1,0)" into cell B1. This is the Excel formula for a standard normal distribution with a mean of 0.0 and a standard deviation of 1.0. Mean and standard deviation numbers can be changed to suit your needs. For example, if your curve requires a mean of 8.0 and a standard of deviation of 3.0, input "=NORMDIST(A1,8,3,0)" in cell B1. Make sure not to include the quotation marks or Excel will not create your curve correctly.
- 4). Click on cell B1, hold and highlight the Column B down to your last x value, in this example, cell B21. Remember this will vary according to number of x values. Go to the fill option and select "down." Excel will automatically calculate your y values.
- 5). Highlight the x and y values in columns A and B.
- 6). Go to Insert and select Scatter, then "Scatter with Smooth Lines and Markers."
