THE NORMAL CURVE Suppose that we weighed 25 more samples from the same

process that generated the data for the preceeding example. As long as the process
continued to produce the normal amount of variation, we would expect the samples to
fall into the same general pattern. If we were to construct histograms from
other sources of data, we would expect them to build a similar pattern. Most of the
data would be grouped around the middle with less and less as we approached each
end of the histogram. Mathematicians recognized this pattern many years ago as
a law of nature. They describe the pattern by a formula and obtain a curve which is
common to almost all patterns. This curve is symmetrical, high in the middle, and
diminishes as the distance from the middle increases. We refer to it as the NORMAL
CURVE. (normal curve figure) There are two characteristics which we use to
identify the NORMAL CURVE. They are: 1. The middle or average 2. The
measure of variation The middle or average (mean) of a process can be found by
adding all of the data we have and dividing by the number of samples we observed.
The measure of variation is referred to as the standard deviation and it tells us
how much variation exists about the average. STANDARD DEVIATION The
standard deviation is represented by the Greek symbol which is read "sigma". One
sigma on each side of the average will include about 68% of the NORMAL CURVE.
(INSERT NORMAL CURVE with +/- one sigma shaded) Mathematicians have defined
the normal curve in more detail by telling us that approximately 95% of it will
fall within plus or minus 2-sigmas and that 99.7% wi This makes the normal
curve very helpful in identifying variation and defining a process. After we have
calculated the average and sigma, we are able to identify how much variation the
process has and how far it spreads from the average. We usually call the total
spread our "PROCESS LIMITS". The average plus 3-sigma equals the UPPER PROCESS
LIMITS. The average minus 3-sigma equals the LOWER PROCESS LIMITS. As long as
the process remains in control and no assignable cause is present, we can expect
nearly all measurements to be within the PROCESS LIMITS. Statistically we expect
that 99.7% of the measurements will fall between the limits. We expect no more than
.3% to be larger or smaller than the limits.