What is Normal?

[Cantelope]

A normal to a flat surface is a vector that is perpendicular to that surface. A normal to a non-flat surface at a point P on the surface is a vector perpendicular to the tangent plane to that surface at P. The word "normal" is also used as an adjective: a line normal to a plane, the normal component of a force, the normal vector, etc. The concept of normality generalizes to orthogonality.

In the two-dimensional case, a normal line perpendicularly intersects the tangent line to a curve at a given point.

The normal is often used in computer graphics to determine a surface's orientation toward a light source for flat shading, or the orientation of each of the corners (vertices) to mimic a curved surface with Phong shading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_normal

[Eris]

A normal to a flat surface is a vector that is perpendicular to that surface. A normal to a non-flat surface at a point P on the surface is a vector perpendicular to the tangent plane to that surface at P. The word "normal" is also used as an adjective: a line normal to a plane, the normal component of a force, the normal vector, etc. The concept of normality generalizes to orthogonality.

In the two-dimensional case, a normal line perpendicularly intersects the tangent line to a curve at a given point.

The normal is often used in computer graphics to determine a surface's orientation toward a light source for flat shading, or the orientation of each of the corners (vertices) to mimic a curved surface with Phong shading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_normal

I might add that the normal of a four-dimensional hypersurface is a 3-dimensional volume with a four-dimensional direction.

A "normal" person is a person who, for the most part, exhibits normal qualities. Do you breath? Check. Got two eyes? Check. Born of a mother and a father? Check. Walking around? Check.

"Normal" is not so much a specific state of being, so much as an average state of being, measured over the number of people to whom a trait can be attributed.

Basically, the people who fall into the area under the peak of a Normal curve.



Considering that, over all physical and mental trains of a person, we are more than 98% the same, most people would fall under the classification of "normal", provided you don't consider that 2% to be statistically relevant. But, of course, people just love to stress the few things about their personality that actually make them "different" from "normal".

That doesn't make sense at all. First of all, you must ask yourself: Normal in what respect, and with regards to what population (what's normal in a Brazilian kindergarten will almost certainly be grossly abnormal in a Russian science institute). Then you go measure that property in a significant chunk of that population, and find it's (almost certainly) a bell curve.

Now, normal people would fall within one standard deviation from the average. But that only constitutes 67% of the population. But people between the first and second standard deviation are only somewhat abnormal, as they do infact fall into a category that encompasses 27% of the population. If you go beyond two standard deviations, the abnormality is significant. Only 5% of people would fall in this category.

That being said, the concept of normality is easily abused if you choose strange properties and populations. Having any given job will for example be abnormal, as most of the population will not have the same job.

[IcePriestess]

As somebody already said "normal" is what we think alike to us. But since we are so different, our understanding of a word "normal" is different.
If I talked about myself, I used to call people normal when they weren't standing out of the crowd. But my perception was wrong.
The people which I think are normal, are almost everybody. Everyone, who aren't afraid to live, everyone who have made some sins in their life. We all aren't perfect, that's why we are "normal". If everyone would be perfect, then the word "normal" wouldn't exist. That just proves the fact, that nearly every human being is normal.
Normal = Not perfect.
Not perfect = Doing some sins
Doing some sins = human nature
Human nature = us.

[Forgotten Show]

I might add that the normal of a four-dimensional hypersurface is a 3-dimensional volume with a four-dimensional direction.

I could follow Cantelope's post, but this one throws me. Could you break it down a bit?

That doesn't make sense at all. First of all, you must ask yourself: Normal in what respect, and with regards to what population (what's normal in a Brazilian kindergarten will almost certainly be grossly abnormal in a Russian science institute). Then you go measure that property in a significant chunk of that population, and find it's (almost certainly) a bell curve.

Now, normal people would fall within one standard deviation from the average. But that only constitutes 67% of the population. But people between the first and second standard deviation are only somewhat abnormal, as they do infact fall into a category that encompasses 27% of the population. If you go beyond two standard deviations, the abnormality is significant. Only 5% of people would fall in this category.

That being said, the concept of normality is easily abused if you choose strange properties and populations. Having any given job will for example be abnormal, as most of the population will not have the same job.

I didn't even notice what Gjallarhorn said under the image. I need to stop posting tired... Well said, regardless.


Bad Memory

[zansa]

The most common thing. Today being weird is normal. Ironic.

[Shinn Kamiyra]

I've been talking to a few people who live near me about what normal really is. People go and say, "The normal" when they order, so normal is what they constently get. But if you were talking about a person? Who would be normal? The happy people who walk by you through the mall? Or how about the people who dance in public? In a dictionary it says that normal means "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural."

Alright, my question is, what is a normal person?

As our resident physicist has already made clear, one's definition of 'normal' varies greatly with regards to varying specific aspects. What is normal for a person(s) may come off as very strange and abnormal for another person(s). With this in mind, one's perspective plays a key role in answering this question.

To be perfectly honest, I don't like referring to things as 'normal'. The word, as I've seen it, has a tendency to cause too many misunderstandings between people. I believe this is due in part to its vague nature and how it can be perceived on so many different levels. I believe the differing responses that we've seen thus far can attest to that. I rather prefer using words such as "average", "standard", "common", etc. Admittedly, I have seen these words abused in much the same way; but it's been on a far less severe scale, at least as far as my experience goes.

[BlackRebellion]

That Can't Be Determined! LOL To Every Indavidual "NORMAL" Can Mean Diffrent Things! ^_^[/COLOR]

[Sr Machinehead]

normals just a word to make people feel like they fit into a group and are better than others.

[MoroDashi]

Sometimes they'd just say the normal cause they cant be bothered explaining.
Or maybe they're just fineeeeee .

[Artcell]

Abnormal=Me
Normal=Anyone except me..

People who don't say lol in real..I mean like I say lol in real when I need to laugh which is weird......so I am abnormal..so anyone is normal who is not like me....lol

[Forgotten Show]

That's... that's actually a correct logical equation. Huh.


Bad Memory

[ultra_maniac]

well normal is the one who is greedy coz every one wish for something so they are normal

[ELR]

Mr. Shinn Kamiyra, I like how you phrased that. Even though you don't use the word normal, you do us words that are similar to it. And without knowing what the normal thing is, you never know how to fully answer it. But I guess most people realized what I meant by normal.

Miss .Elmer, the way you said that made me laugh a little, the majority of people I talk to around me say lol. So if you call yourself abnormal then there are a lot of abnormal people who I think are normal in their own special way.

Mr. Ultra Maniac, you do have a point, everyone has a greedy side even if it is harder to see it, greed is there somewhere. But there is more than just greed in every person.

[Bulma1017]

Not me that's for sure!!
(Evil Grin)

[Eris]

I could follow Cantelope's post, but this one throws me. Could you break it down a bit?

Yeah. 4-dimensional geometry is a special brand of headache:

You have a four dimensional hypersurface, S(x,y,z,w). At some arbitrary point on the surface P, it has normal vector N=(nx,ny,nz,nw), so that N is perpendicular to S. So far, so good. Pretty much like in 3D, except for the new w coordinate. The headache starts when you realize that this normal corresponds to a 3-dimensional space, and not a 2-dimensional area like we're used to. So, in a sense, N is a 4-dimensional vector that corresponds to a 3-dimensional space that lies on the surface of the 4-dimensional surface.

Though, regular surfaces with 2-dimensional areas also exist in 4-D space.

[3pleT]

What would Steven Wilson do if he was here right now...?

+

[Grim Scythe]

Normal

Origin: 1520–30; < L normālis made according to a carpenter's square, equiv. to norm(a) (see norm ) + -ālis -al 1

-Adj.
What ever i say it is.

[DeMoNoFtHeFaLl666]

normal people are the ones who wear Hollister and american eagle and all those stupid brands and usually listen to mainstream rock/hip hop/rap/country. There are so many people like this in my school. there all just clones of each other its pathetic.

[GreyAcumen]

I am proud to be one that stands out from the crowd at my community college. Not to mention I'm one of the few legitimate swordsmen left, wielding my nodachi Moon Cleaver (self-taught).

~Brandon Acumen

[SigmaSD]

I don't know what most would consider normal but anyone that is too normal is probably insane because people were designed to be different.

[The Grey Crane]

Normal isn't THIS or THAT, but BOTH. At least I go by that rule...

[_-Anonymous-_]

A person who never plays easy or hard mode.

lol.. ya thats exactly what i had in mind :P

[ELR]

SO almost everyone is agreeing that normal is just a word that doesn't really exist. Hmm, So if someone asked you what the normal weather around you was, would you reply, "Normal weather? Weather changes and normal has no such meaning." ?

[=Risa Harada=]

We're unique in characteristic....we got different talent...for me no one is normal....because we're different...in little way....