NORM.DIST
Returns the normal distribution for the specified mean and standard deviation. Replaces the legacy NORMDIST function.
NORM.DIST(x, mean, standard_dev, cumulative)Arguments
xThe value for which you want the distributionmeanThe arithmetic mean of the distributionstandard_devThe standard deviation of the distribution (must be > 0)cumulativeTRUE for the cumulative distribution function, FALSE for the probability density function
=NORM.DIST(42, 40, 1.5, TRUE)Cumulative probability that X ≤ 42
=NORM.DIST(42, 40, 1.5, FALSE)Probability density at x = 42
=NORM.DIST(0, 0, 1, TRUE)Standard normal cumulative at 0
- •Returns #NUM! if standard_dev ≤ 0
- •Use cumulative = TRUE for P(X ≤ x), FALSE for the density curve
- •For the standard normal distribution use NORM.S.DIST
- •Forgetting to set the cumulative argument correctly - TRUE returns the cumulative probability P(X ≤ x), while FALSE returns the probability density at that exact point, and confusing the two produces a value that looks plausible but answers a different question
- •Passing a standard_dev of 0 or a negative number, which returns a #NUM! error since standard deviation must be strictly positive
- •Using NORM.DIST when the data specifically represents a standard normal distribution (mean 0, standard deviation 1) - NORM.S.DIST is more direct for that common special case
NORM.INVPerforms the inverse operation - given a cumulative probability, returns the corresponding x value, undoing what NORM.DIST with cumulative=TRUE calculates.NORM.S.DISTCalculates the same kind of distribution specifically for the standard normal case (mean 0, standard deviation 1), without needing to specify those parameters.STDEV.SOften used to estimate the standard_dev argument from sample data before feeding it into NORM.DIST.What's the difference between cumulative TRUE and FALSE in NORM.DIST?
TRUE gives the cumulative probability that a value is less than or equal to x (the area under the curve up to that point). FALSE gives the probability density at exactly x (the height of the curve at that point), which is not itself a probability.
Why does NORM.DIST return a #NUM! error?
The standard_dev argument is zero or negative - standard deviation must be a positive number for the normal distribution to be defined.
Should I use NORM.DIST or NORM.S.DIST?
Use NORM.S.DIST specifically when your data already represents the standard normal distribution (mean 0, standard deviation 1) - it's a more direct shortcut. Use NORM.DIST when you need to specify a different mean and standard deviation.
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