What is described as the charting of a data set with most data points concentrated around the mean, forming a bell-shaped curve?

The concept being described in this scenario is the normal distribution, which is a fundamental concept in statistics. A normal distribution is characterized by its symmetrical, bell-shaped curve, where most of the data points cluster around the mean, which is the peak of the curve. As you move away from the mean in either direction, the frequency of data points tends to decrease, forming the characteristic shape of a bell.

In a normal distribution, about 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean, and approximately 95% falls within two standard deviations. This property of normal distributions makes them particularly useful in various statistical analyses, including hypothesis testing and confidence interval estimation.

Understanding this distribution is essential in total quality management (TQM) because it can help organizations analyze processes and variability, leading to improved quality and performance. The curve effectively represents natural phenomena and measurement errors, making it a critical concept in quality control and improvement efforts.