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Random fluctuations result in a distribution of results when making repetitive

measurements. The distribution that results due to truely random events is called a
"normal error" or Gaussian curve. It is also sometimes called a "bell-shaped curve".
The mathematical expression for this random distribution is:

Where is the population standard deviation:

and with µ being the population mean.

This equation is plotted below. The dark vertical lines indicate the area under the
curve from -1 to +1 , and the lighter lines indicate the area under the curve for ±2
.

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