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<math>E[X^{1}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xf_{X}(x)dx=\frac{1}{3\sqrt{2\Pi }}\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xe^{-\frac{(x-3)^{2}}{18}}dx=\frac{1}{3\sqrt{2\Pi }}9\sqrt{2\Pi }=3</math>  
 
<math>E[X^{1}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xf_{X}(x)dx=\frac{1}{3\sqrt{2\Pi }}\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xe^{-\frac{(x-3)^{2}}{18}}dx=\frac{1}{3\sqrt{2\Pi }}9\sqrt{2\Pi }=3</math>  
  
<span style="color:red">I have seen 'E(x^n) is defined as:'</span>
+
<span style="color:blue">I have seen 'E(x^n) is defined as:'</span>
  
 
<math>E[X^{n}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }x^{n}f_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (1)</math>
 
<math>E[X^{n}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }x^{n}f_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (1)</math>
  
<span style="color:red">in a few of the hmwrk 5 answers.  However, I think there's an important distinction between equivalency and definition.  E(x^n) is not defined as (1); it is only E(x) that is defined as</span>
+
<span style="color:blue">in a few of the hmwrk 5 answers.  However, I think there's an important distinction between equivalency and definition.  E(x^n) is not defined as (1); it is only E(x) that is defined as</span>
  
 
<math>E[X]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xf_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (2)</math>
 
<math>E[X]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xf_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (2)</math>
  
<span style="color:red">E(x^n) happens to equal (1) by way of the more general fact that</span>
+
<span style="color:blue">E(x^n) happens to equal (1) by way of the more general fact that</span>
  
 
<math>E[g(X)]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }g(X)f_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (3)</math>
 
<math>E[g(X)]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }g(X)f_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (3)</math>
  
<span style="color:red">See pgs 84-85 from Bertsekas and Tsitsiklis to see why. -ag</span>
+
<span style="color:blue">See pgs 84-85 from Bertsekas and Tsitsiklis to see why. -ag</span>
  
 
=== Answer 2 ===
 
=== Answer 2 ===

Revision as of 20:28, 24 March 2013

Practice Problem: compute the zero-th order moment of a Gaussian random variable


A random variable X has the following probability density function:

$ f_X (x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi} 3 } e^{\frac{-(x-3)^2}{18}} . $

Compute the moment of order one of that random variable. In other words, compute

$ E \left( X^1 \right) . $


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Answer 1

The moment of n-th order moment is defined as: $ E[X^{n}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }x^{n}f_{X}(x)dx $

Therefore,

$ E[X^{1}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xf_{X}(x)dx=\frac{1}{3\sqrt{2\Pi }}\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xe^{-\frac{(x-3)^{2}}{18}}dx=\frac{1}{3\sqrt{2\Pi }}9\sqrt{2\Pi }=3 $

I have seen 'E(x^n) is defined as:'

$ E[X^{n}]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }x^{n}f_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (1) $

in a few of the hmwrk 5 answers. However, I think there's an important distinction between equivalency and definition. E(x^n) is not defined as (1); it is only E(x) that is defined as

$ E[X]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }xf_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (2) $

E(x^n) happens to equal (1) by way of the more general fact that

$ E[g(X)]=\int_{-\infty }^{\infty }g(X)f_{X}(x)dx \;\;\; (3) $

See pgs 84-85 from Bertsekas and Tsitsiklis to see why. -ag

Answer 2

Write it here.

Answer 3

Write it here.


Back to ECE302 Spring 2013 Prof. Boutin

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Sean Hu, ECE PhD 2009