[statistics]
A theoretical frequency distribution of a dataset in which the distribution of values can be graphically represented as a symmetrical bell curve. Normal distributions are typically characterized by a clustering of values near the mean, with few values departing radically from the mean. There are as many values on the left side of the curve as on the right, so the mean and median values for the distribution are the same. 68 percent of the values are plus or minus one standard deviation from the mean; 95 percent of the values are plus or minus two standard deviations; and 99 percent of the values are plus or minus three standard deviations.