What type of distribution is described as having a single peak?

A normal distribution is characterized by its symmetric, bell-shaped curve that has a single peak. This peak represents the mean, median, and mode of the data set, all of which are equal in a perfectly normal distribution. The shape of the distribution indicates that most of the data points cluster around the central peak, with fewer observations occurring as you move away from the center in either direction.

The concept of having a single peak relates to how the values are spread out around the mean. In a normal distribution, approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation from the mean, and about 95% falls within two standard deviations. This characteristic makes normal distributions particularly useful in statistics and probability theory since many statistical methods are based on the assumption of normality.

In contrast, a bi-modal distribution has two distinct peaks, indicating the presence of two different groups within the data. A uniform distribution describes a scenario where every outcome is equally likely, leading to a flat shape rather than a peak. Finally, an exponential distribution typically describes time until an event occurs and has a different shape with no peaks in the traditional sense; it generally decreases rapidly and is characterized by a long tail to the right.