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Gaussian shape

Gaussian shape

6.9
A smooth bell-shaped curve that shows how values spread around the average
  • noun
  • /ˈɡaʊsɪən ʃeɪp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : forma gaussiana
  • In statistics, a Gaussian shape is often used to model the distribution of random variables.

Examples

  • The data showed a clear Gaussian shape, indicating that most values were clustered around the mean.

  • Previous theories assumed that at the transition point between a liquid and glass, the material's atoms become caged by each other in a "simple" Gaussian shape.

    Blog text (19)
  • The results of the experiment followed a Gaussian shape, which was expected for normally distributed data.

Synonyms

bell curve
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
7 4.6

A curved line on a graph showing most results near the average and fewer at the ends

is the more technical or academic visual term rather than the casual graph name
normal distribution
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
2 5.8

A bell-shaped curve where most values are near the average

is the visual representation of this probability model rather than the abstract model
Gaussian
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A bell-shaped curve used in statistics to show how values spread

is the visual form used to show that mathematical function or model
bell-shaped curve
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A curve shaped like a bell that shows most values near the average

is the general visual term rather than the plotted line name
Gaussian distribution
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A bell-shaped pattern that shows most values are near the average, like heights or test scores

is the visual picture of that probability model rather than the abstract model
Gaussian curve
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
7.2

A bell-shaped curve the same on both sides that shows how values are near the average

is the more general visual term rather than the plotted line
normal curve
vsGaussian shape
  • Specialized
4.6

A bell-shaped line that shows most numbers near the middle and fewer far from it

is the general visual term rather than the plotted line term

How Smooth

spline
  • Specialized
1 8.2
Gaussian shape
  • Specialized
6.9
smoother
  • Specialized
7.1
low-pass filter
  • Specialized
1 5.5
median
  • Specialized
106 4.8
raw data
  • Specialized
21 3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

Gaussian + shape

The phrase is compositional (adjective + noun) and signals a subtype of shape, but the key term 'Gaussian' is a technical label referring to Gauss's normal distribution (a bell-shaped curve). A B1 learner who knows the everyday sense of 'shape' but not the statistical meaning of 'Gaussian' would not be able to derive the specific bell-curve meaning, so the relation is only partially transparent and depends on specialist knowledge.

Etymology

Gaussian shape comes from the smooth bell curve studied by the mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. Picture a bell that rises in the middle and falls evenly on both sides, and you can see why the phrase describes data that are 'grouped around an average'.