Welcome to our comprehensive guide on Bell Curve in Python! In this article, we will dive deep into the concept of Bell Curve and how to implement it in Python. Our aim is to provide you with a detailed understanding of the Bell Curve so that you can use it for your data analysis projects.
What is a Bell Curve
The bell curve, also known as the normal distribution, is a commonly used probability distribution in statistics. It is a continuous distribution that is symmetrical and bell-shaped, with most of the data falling around the mean value. The shape of the curve is determined by two parameters: the mean and the standard deviation.
The bell curve is widely used in fields such as finance, engineering, social sciences, and healthcare. It is used to analyze data and make predictions about future events, as well as to compare different sets of data.
How to Create a Bell Curve in Python
To create a bell curve in Python, you can use the NumPy, SciPy and Matplotlib libraries.
Here is an example:
import numpy as np
import scipy.stats as stats
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Define the mean and standard deviation
mu = 0
sigma = 1
# Create an array of x values
x = np.linspace(mu - 3*sigma, mu + 3*sigma, 100)
# Create the bell curve using the probability density function (pdf) of the normal distribution
y = stats.norm.pdf(x, mu, sigma)
# Create the plot
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot(x, y)
# Set the title and axis labels
ax.set_title('Bell Curve')
ax.set_xlabel('X')
ax.set_ylabel('Probability Density')
# Display the plot
plt.show()
Output:

In this code, we first define the mean and standard deviation of the bell curve using the mu
and sigma
variables. We then create an array of x values using the NumPy linspace
function, which generates evenly spaced values within a specified range. In this case, we generate 100 values between mu - 3*sigma
and mu + 3*sigma
.
Next, we use the probability density function (pdf) of the normal distribution from the SciPy stats
module to create the y values of the bell curve. The pdf
function takes three arguments: x
(the values at which to evaluate the pdf), mu
(the mean of the distribution), and sigma
(the standard deviation of the distribution).
Finally, we create the plot using Matplotlib. We create a figure and axis object using the subplots
function, plot the x and y values using the plot
function, and set the title and axis labels using the set_title
, set_xlabel
, and set_ylabel
methods of the axis object. We then display the plot using the show
function.
How to Fill in a Bell Curve in Python
The following code illustrates how to fill in the area under the bell curve ranging from -1 to 1:
import numpy as np
import scipy.stats as stats
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Define the mean and standard deviation
mu = 0
sigma = 1
# Create an array of x values
x = np.linspace(mu - 3*sigma, mu + 3*sigma, 100)
# Create the bell curve using the probability density function (pdf) of the normal distribution
y = stats.norm.pdf(x, mu, sigma)
# Create the plot
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
# Fill in the area under the curve from -1 to 1
ax.fill_between(x, 0, y, where=((x >= -1) & (x <= 1)), interpolate=True)
# Plot the curve
ax.plot(x, y)
# Set the title and axis labels
ax.set_title('Bell Curve with Filled Area')
ax.set_xlabel('X')
ax.set_ylabel('Probability Density')
# Display the plot
plt.show()
Output:

In this code, we first define the mean and standard deviation of the bell curve using the mu
and sigma
variables. We then create an array of x values using the NumPy linspace
function, which generates evenly spaced values within a specified range. In this case, we generate 100 values between mu - 3*sigma
and mu + 3*sigma
.
Next, we use the probability density function (pdf) of the normal distribution from the SciPy stats
module to create the y values of the bell curve, just like in the previous example.
To fill in the area under the curve from -1 to 1, we use the Matplotlib fill_between
function. The first argument is the array of x values, the second argument is an array of zeros (since we want to fill in the area from the x axis), and the third argument is the array of y values. The where
parameter specifies the conditions under which to fill in the area, which in this case is where x
is between -1 and 1. The interpolate
parameter fills in the area with a smooth curve instead of a step function.
Finally, we plot the bell curve on top of the filled area using the plot
function, and set the title and axis labels using the set_title
, set_xlabel
, and set_ylabel
methods of the axis object. We then display the plot using the show
function.
Wrap up
To learn more about The Bell Curve function check out the:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve
Thanks for reading. Happy coding!