Why does a Galton board explain the normal distribution? It seem that the distribution is more of a function of where the beads are dropped than showing a reversion to the mean

Question

It seems like the tendency for the beads to cluster around the middle is mostly because they were dropped right above the middle. If you move the funnel to either side, then the distribution will be correspondingly skewed.

For anyone who is not familiar with a Galton board: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galton_board](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galton_board)

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In: 5

Answer 1

Well the Wikipedia article explains it quite nicely.

The board demonstrates the property of binomial distribution (the result on a population where each member undergoes a series of random yes/no choices). Each level presents each bead with two possibilities: move left one step, or move right one step.

The board demonstrates the probability that any particular bead will accumulate a particular proportion of left or right outcomes.