Section 3.1 and 3.2

Expectation

Question 3.1.1

The joint PMF of discrete random variables \(X\) and \(Y\) is given by:

\(X \backslash Y\) \(Y=0\) \(Y=1\) \(P(X=x)\)
\(X=0\) 0.30 0.05 0.35
\(X=1\) 0.20 0.25 0.45
\(X=2\) 0.10 0.10 0.20
\(P(Y=y)\) 0.60 0.40 1.00
  1. Compute \(E(X)\)

By definition of expectation for discrete random variables,

\[ \mathbb{E}(X) = \sum_{x}\sum_{y} x \, P(X = x, Y = y). \]

Going cell by cell through the joint table:

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(X) &= 0 \cdot P(0, 0) + 0 \cdot P(0, 1) + 1 \cdot P(1, 0) + 1 \cdot P(1, 1) + 2 \cdot P(2, 0) + 2 \cdot P(2, 1)\\ &= 0 + 0 + 1(0.20) + 1(0.25) + 2(0.10)+ 2(0.10)\\ &= 0.85 \end{aligned} \]

You could also use the marginal distribution of \(X\) (less computation as it’s given on the right hand column of the table):

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(X) &= 0(0.35) + 1(0.45) + 2(0.20)\\ &= 0.85 \end{aligned} \]

  1. Compute \(E(XY)\)

By definition of expectation for discrete random variables,

\[ \mathbb{E}(XY) = \sum_{x}\sum_{y} xy \, P(X = x, Y = y). \]

Going cell by cell through the joint table:

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(XY) &= 0 \cdot 0 \cdot P(0, 0) + 0 \cdot 1 \cdot P(0, 1) + 1 \cdot 0 \cdot P(1, 0) + 1 \cdot 1 \cdot P(1, 1) + 2 \cdot 0 \cdot P(2, 0) + 2 \cdot 1 \cdot P(2, 1)\\ &= 0 + 0 + 0 + 1(0.25) + 0 + 2(0.10)\\ &= 0.25 + 0.20\\ &= 0.45 \end{aligned} \]

Question 3.1.2

Suppose \(X\) and \(Y\) have joint probability:

\[ p_{X,Y}(x,y) = \begin{cases} 1/9 & x = -4, y = -2\\ 2/9 & x = 5, y = -2\\ 3/9 & x = 9, y = -2\\ 2/9 & x = 9, y = 0\\ 1/9 & x = 9, y = 4\\ 0&\text{otherwise} \end{cases} \] (a) What is \(\mathbb{E}(X)\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(X) &= \sum_{x}\sum_yxp_{X,Y}(x,y)\\ &= -4(1/9) + 5(2/9) + 9(3/9) + 9(2/9) + 9(1/9)\\ &\approx 6.67 \end{aligned} \]

  1. What is \(\mathbb{E}(X^2)\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(X^2) &= \sum_{x}\sum_yx^2p_{X,Y}(x,y)\\ &= -4^2(1/9) + 5^2(2/9) + 9^2(3/9) + 9^2(2/9) + 9^2(1/9)\\ &\approx 57.78 \end{aligned} \]

  1. What is \(\mathbb{E}(e^{tx})\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(e^{tx}) &= \sum_{x}\sum_ye^{tx}p_{X,Y}(x,y)\\ &= e^{-4t}(1/9) + e^{-5t}(2/9) + e^{-9t}(3/9) + e^{-9t}(2/9) +e^{-9t}(1/9)\\ &= \frac{1}{9}e^{-4t} + \frac{2}{9}e^{-5t} +\frac{2}{3}e^{-9t} \end{aligned} \]

Question 3.1.3

Suppose you flip one fair coin and roll one fair six-sided die. Let \(X\) be the product of the numbers of heads (i.e., 0 or 1) times the number showing on the die. Compute \(\mathbb{E}(X)\).

Let \(X = Y\timesZ\) where \(Y\) is the number of heads and \(Z\) is the number showing on the dice. These are both independent events, so \(\mathbb{E}(X) = \mathbb{E}(YZ) = \mathbb{E}(Y)\mathbb{E}(Z)\).

\(\mathbb{E}(Y) = (1/2)(0) + (1/2)(1) = 1/2\)

\(\mathbb{E}(Z) = (1/6)(1) + (1/6)(2) +...+ (1/6)(6) = 3.5\).

Thus, \(\mathbb{E}(X) = \mathbb{E}(YZ) = \mathbb{E}(Y)\mathbb{E}(Z) = (1/2)(3.5) = 1.75\)

Question 3.1.4

Let \(f_X(x) = 2xI_{(0, 1)}(x)\).

  1. What is \(\mathbb{E}(X)\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(X) &= \int_{0}^{1} x\cdot2x \,dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} 2x^2 \,dx\\ &= \frac{2}{3}x^3\Big|_{x = 0}^{x = 1}\\ &= \frac{2}{3} \end{aligned} \]

  1. What is \(\mathbb{E}(e^{tx})\) for \(t > 0\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(e^{tx}) &= \int_{0}^{1} e^{tx}\cdot2x \,dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} 2xe^{tx} \,dx\\ \end{aligned} \]

Let \(u = 2x \implies du = 2dx\) and \(dv = e^{tx}dx \implies v = \frac{1}{t}e^{tx}\). By integration by parts we have:

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(e^{tx}) &= \int_{0}^{1} e^{tx}\cdot2x \,dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} 2xe^{tx} \,dx\\ &= (2x)\frac{1}{t}e^{tx}\Big|_{x = 0}^{x = 1} - \int_{0}^1\frac{2}{t}e^{tx}dx\\ &= \left[(2x)\frac{1}{t}e^{tx} - \frac{2}{t^2}{e^{tx}}\right]\Big|_{x = 0}^{x = 1}\\ &= \left(\frac{2}{t}- \frac{2}{t^2}\right)e^t \end{aligned} \]

Question 3.1.5

Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be jointly absolutely continuous random variables, with joint density function \[ f_{X,Y}(x,y) = \frac{3}{2}x^2I_{(0,1)}(x)I_{(0,2)}(y) \]

What is \(E(XY)\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(XY) &= \int_{0}^{1} \int_0^{2}xy\cdot\frac{3}{2}x^2\, dydx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} \int_0^{2}\frac{3}{2}x^3y\, dydx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} \frac{3}{4}x^3y^2\Big|_{y = 0}^{y = 2}dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} \frac{3}{4}x^3(4)dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} 3x^3dx\\ &= \frac{3}{4}x^4 \Big|_{x = 0}^{x = 1}\\ &= \frac{3}{4} \end{aligned} \]

Question 3.1.6

Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be jointly absolutely continuous random variables, with joint density function \[ f_{X,Y}(x,y) = 6xy + \frac{9}{2}x^2y^2I_{(0,x)}(y)I_{(0,1)}(x) \]

What is \(E(X^3)\)?

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}(X^3) &= \int_{0}^{1} \int_0^{x}x^3\cdot(6xy + \frac{9}{2}x^2y^2)\, dydx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} \int_0^{x}(6x^4y + \frac{9}{2}x^5y^2)\, dydx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} (3x^4y^2 + \frac{3}{2}x^5y^3)\Big|_{y = 0}^{y = x}\, dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} (3x^4x^2 + \frac{3}{2}x^5x^3)\, dx\\ &= \int_{0}^{1} (3x^6+ \frac{3}{2}x^8)\, dx\\ &= \left[ \frac{3}{7}x^7 + \frac{3}{18}x^9 \right]_{x = 0}^{x = 1}\\ &\approx 0.5952 \end{aligned} \]

Question 3.1.7

Suppose\(X \sim \textrm{Gamma}(\alpha, \lambda )\). What is \(\mathbb{E}[X^2]\)?

We have that \[\begin{aligned} \mathbb{E}[X] &= \int_0^\infty x^2 \frac{\lambda^\alpha}{\Gamma(\alpha)} x^{\alpha - 1} e^{-\lambda x} \mathsf{d}x \\ &= \frac{\lambda^\alpha}{\Gamma(\alpha)} \int_0^\infty x^{\alpha + 1} e^{-\lambda x} \mathsf{d}x \\ &= \frac{\lambda^\alpha}{\Gamma(\alpha)} \cdot \color{blue}{\frac{\Gamma(\alpha + 2)}{\lambda^{\alpha + 2}} } \int_0^\infty \color{blue}{\frac{\lambda^{\alpha + 2}}{\Gamma(\alpha + 2)}} \color{black}{x^{\alpha + 2 - 1} e^{-\lambda x} \mathsf{d}x} && \color{blue}{\text{multiply by 1}} \\ &= \frac{\Gamma(\alpha + 2)}{\lambda^2 \Gamma(\alpha)} && \text{integral is pdf of Gamma}(\alpha + 2, \lambda)\\ &= \frac{(\alpha + 1)!}{\lambda^2 (\alpha - 1)!} && \text{because } \Gamma(\alpha + 1) = \alpha \Gamma(\alpha) \\ &= \frac{(\alpha + 1)(\alpha)}{\lambda^2}. \end{aligned}\]