Excel: Distribution of the RAND() Function

Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
Article ID: Q25518

SUMMARY

When creating a random distribution of numbers for a small sample, the RAND() function may appear to create a mound-shaped curve.

The RAND() function produces an even random distribution. However, for a small sample, the results sometimes appear similar to a bell-shaped curve or weighted to one end of a range. This appearance is standard for an even distribution.

For the distribution to appear truly even, it would be necessary to generate a very large series, somewhere in the range of 1x10^32. In other words, a truly smooth curve would require plotting several million (or billion) points. The more points, the smoother the curve.

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Additional reference words: 1.00 1.03 1.04 1.06 1.50 2.20 3.00

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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
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