The normal distribution has often been called the Gaussian distribution,
although de Moivre and Laplace spoke of it well before Gauss.
The term "normal" had been used for the distribution by Galton (1877)
and Karl Person later recommended the routine use of that adjective to
avoid "an international question of priority," although Pearson noted
that it "has the disadvantage of leading people to believe that all
other distributions of frequency are in one sense or another
'abnormal'."
Jerrold H. Zar, Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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