Often associated with school grades, the bell curve got its name from its hump-shaped appearance, starting low, rising to a peak and then falling off at the same place as the beginning. While bell curves may be used to represent numbers, no specialty mathematical software is required to draw them. Take advantage of Microsoft Word's somewhat-hidden drawing tool to make your own bell curves directly on a Word document page.
Step 1
Open Microsoft Word. Click the "Insert" tab. Click the "Shapes" button below the tab.
Step 2
Click the "Scribble" tool, which looks like a squiggly line, last in the "Line" section of the shapes. The cursor changes to a plus sign.
Step 3
Press and hold down the left mouse button. Draw a flat line by dragging the cursor to the right to near the middle of the page. Draw an arc up towards the top of the page. Complete the bell by drawing the arc down. Draw a straight line to complete the bottom part of the bell curve.
Step 4
Change the bell curve line drawing's color – which Word may put in black or blue by default – by clicking the new orange "Drawing Tools" tab at the top of the work area. Select the "Shape Outline" menu and click a small colored box to change the color of the bell curve. (Optional)