how do i create random normally distributed number array within a set range?

i want to create an array of 2000 values that are within the range [-5 5] and are normally distributed around 0?

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

Try

sigma = 5;
data = signma * randn(1,2000);
histogram(data)

Since it's normally distributed, some may lie outside your desired range. So adjust the sigma to adjust the proportion of data that you want to be inside the [-5,5] range.

[yoani herrera]

thanks!

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

https://www.mathworks.com/help/stats/prob.truncatabledistribution.truncate.html

pd = makedist('Normal');
t = truncate(pd, -5, 5);

r = random(t,2000,1);

Warning: the probabilities of a truncated normal distribution do not add up to 1.0 !!

[James Tursa]

doc on truncate indicates that the pdf of the output is re-normalized based on the original probability assigned to the interval, so that the probabilities of the result would in fact add up to 1.0, and the example given for the truncated normal seems to verify this. I.e., the probabilities assigned to the interval in question are scaled up slightly using the amount clipped off of the tails so that the result is a pdf.

[Walter Roberson]

Ah, I never noticed that before.