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Truncated Normal Distributions

Abstract

THE lognormal frequency distribution, a type of normal curve in which the abscissal scale is logarithmic instead of linear, is of very wide occurrence in many branches of pure and applied science1. A special case is the truncated lognormal distribution, recently noted in insect populations by Spiller2. I have found several instances of this distribution in ecological and bacteriological studies, and also in examples of accident statistics and word distributions given by Yule3. As the existence of this large class of distributions becomes more widely known, so will simple methods of dealing with them be required.

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References

  1. Gaddum, J. H., Nature, 156, 463 (1945).

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  2. Spiller, D., Nature, 162, 530 (1948).

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  3. Yule, G. U., “Statistical Study of Literary Vocabulary” (Cambridge University Press, 1944).

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  4. Bliss, C. I., Ann. App. Biol., 24, 815 (1937).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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THOMPSON, H. Truncated Normal Distributions. Nature 165, 444–445 (1950). https://doi.org/10.1038/165444a0

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