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2018 Paper 3 Q13
D: 1700.0 B: 1484.0

The random variable \(X\) takes only non-negative integer values and has probability generating function \(\G(t)\). Show that \[ \P(X = 0 \text{ or } 2 \text{ or } 4 \text { or } 6 \ \ldots ) = \frac{1}{2}\big(\G\left(1\right)+\G\left(-1\right)\big). \] You are now given that \(X\) has a Poisson distribution with mean \(\lambda\). Show that \[ \G(t) = \e^{-\lambda(1-t)} \,. \]

  1. The random variable \(Y\) is defined by \[ \P(Y=r)= \begin{cases} k\P(X=r) & \text{if \(r=0, \ 2, \ 4, \ 6, \ \ldots\) \ }, \\[2mm] 0& \text{otherwise}, \end{cases} \] where \(k\) is an appropriate constant. Show that the probability generating function of \(Y\) is \(\dfrac{\cosh\lambda t}{\cosh\lambda}\,\). Deduce that \(\E(Y) < \lambda\) for \(\lambda > 0\,\).
  2. The random variable \(Z\) is defined by \[\P(Z=r)= \begin{cases} c \P(X=r) & \text{if \(r = 0, \ 4, \ 8, \ 12, \ \ldots \ \)}, \\[2mm] 0& \text{otherwise,} \end{cases} \] where \(c\) is an appropriate constant. Is \(\E(Z) < \lambda\) for all positive values of \(\lambda\,\)?


Solution: \begin{align*} &&G_X(t) &= \mathbb{E}(t^N) \\ &&&= \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \mathbb{P}(X = k) t^k \\ \Rightarrow && G_X(1) &= \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \mathbb{P}(X = k) \\ \Rightarrow && G_X(-1) &= \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} (-1)^k\mathbb{P}(X = k) \\ \Rightarrow && \frac12 (G_X(1) + G_X(-1) &= \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac12 (1 + (-1)^k) \mathbb{P}(X = k) \\ &&&= \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \mathbb{P}(X =2k) \end{align*}

  1. \begin{align*} 1 &= \sum_r \mathbb{P}(Y = r) \\ &= \sum_{k=0}^\infty k \cdot \mathbb{P}(X = 2k) \\ &= k \cdot \frac12 \l e^{-\lambda(1-1) } + e^{-\lambda(1+1) }\r \\ &= \frac{k}{2}(1+e^{-2\lambda}) \end{align*} Therefore \(k = \frac{2}{1+e^{-2\lambda}} = e^{\lambda} \frac{1}{\cosh \lambda}\) \begin{align*} && G_X(t) + G_X(-t) &= \sum_{k=0}^\infty \mathbb{P}(X = k)t^k(1^k + (-1)^k) \\ &&&= \sum_{k=0}^\infty \mathbb{P}(X = k)t^k(1^k + (-1)^k) \\ &&&= 2\sum_{k=0}^\infty \mathbb{P}(X = 2k)t^{2k} \\ &&&= 2\sum_{k=0}^\infty \frac{1}{k}\mathbb{P}(Y = 2k)t^{2k} \\ &&&= \frac{2}{k}G_Y(t) \\ \Rightarrow && G_Y(t) &= k \cdot \frac{G_X(t) + G_X(-t)}{2} \\ &&&= k\frac{e^{-\lambda(1-t)} + e^{-\lambda(1+t)}}{2} \\ &&&= \frac{e^\lambda}{\cosh \lambda} \frac{e^{-\lambda} (e^{\lambda t}+e^{-\lambda t}) }{2} \\ &&&= \frac{\cosh \lambda t}{\cosh \lambda} \end{align*} Since \(\mathbb{E}(Y) = G_Y'(1)\) and \begin{align*} && G_Y'(t) &= \frac{\lambda \sinh \lambda t}{\cosh \lambda t} \\ \Rightarrow && G_Y'(1) &= \lambda \tanh \lambda \\ &&&< \lambda \end{align*} since \(\tanh x < 1\)
  2. \begin{align*} && \frac14 \l G_X(t) + G_X(it) +G_X(-t) + G_X(-it) \r &= \sum_{k=0}^\infty \mathbb{P}(X=k)t^k (1 + i^k + (-1)^k + (-i)^k) \\ &&&= \sum_{k=0}^\infty \mathbb{P}(X = 4k)t^{4k} \\ &&&= \frac{G_Z(t)}{c} \end{align*} Since \(G_Z(1) = 1\) we must have \(c = \frac1{\frac14 \l G_X(1) + G_X(i) +G_X(-1) + G_X(-i) \r}\) \begin{align*} && c &= \frac{4e^{\lambda}}{e^{\lambda} + e^{-\lambda} + e^{i\lambda} + e^{-i\lambda}} \\ &&&= \frac{2e^{\lambda}}{\cosh \lambda + \cos \lambda} \\ && G_Z(t) &= c \cdot \frac14 \l e^{-\lambda(1-t)}+e^{-\lambda(1-it)}+e^{-\lambda(1+t)}+e^{-\lambda(1+it)} \r \\ &&&= \frac{ce^{-\lambda t}}{4} \l 2\cosh \lambda t + 2 \cos \lambda t\r \\ &&&= \frac{\cosh \lambda t + \cos \lambda t}{\cosh \lambda + \cos \lambda} \end{align*} We are interested in \(G_Z'(1)\) so: \begin{align*} && G_Z'(t) &= \frac{\lambda (\sinh \lambda t - \sin \lambda t)}{\cosh \lambda + \cos \lambda } \end{align*} Considering various values of \(\lambda\), it makes sense to look at \(\lambda = \pi\) (since \(\cos \lambda = -1\) and the denominator will be small). From this we can see: \begin{align*} G'_Z(1) &= \frac{\pi (\sinh \pi-0)}{\cosh \pi-1} \\ &= \frac{\pi}{\tanh \frac{\pi}{2}} > \pi \end{align*} So \(\mathbb{E}(Z)\) is larger than \(\lambda\) for \(\lambda = \pi\) (and probably many others)