How to Normalize Data

When you normalize a set of data, you map the original data range into another scale. The steps for normalizing a data set are described here.

Step 1: Identify the minimum and maximum values Identify the smallest and largest numbers in the original data set and represent them with the variables A and B, respectively.
TIP: If you are normalizing a set of data where the smallest number is 25 and the largest number is 75, set capital A to equal 25 and capital B to equal 75.
Step 2: Identify the minimum and maximum values of the normalized scale Identify the smallest and largest numbers in the normalized scale and represent them by the variables lowercase a and lowercase b, respectively.
TIP: If you are normalizing to the range between 1 and 10, set a will equal 1 and b will equal 10.
Step 3: Calculate normalized value Calculate the normalized value of any number x in the original data set using the equation a plus (x minus A) times (b minus a) divided by (B minus A).
FACT: "Normalize" comes from the Latin word for a carpenter's square.