(New page: Category:ECE Category:QE Category:CNSIP Category:problem solving Category:random variables Category:probability <center> <font size= 4> [[ECE_PhD_Qualifying_Exams...)
 
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=Part 2=
 
=Part 2=
Consider <math class="inline">n</math> independent flips of a coin having probability <math class="inline">p</math> of landing on heads. Say that a changeover occurs whenever an outcome differs from the one preceding it. For instance, if <math class="inline">n=5</math> and the sequence <math class="inline">HHTHT</math> is observed, then there are 3 changeovers. Find the expected number of changeovers for <math class="inline">n</math> flips. ''Hint'': Express the number of changeovers as a sum of Bernoulli random variables.
+
Let <math>X_1,X_2,...</math> be a sequence of jointly Gaussian random variables with covariance
 +
 
 +
<math>Cov(X_i,X_j) = \left\{ \begin{array}{ll}
 +
{\sigma}^2, & i=j\\
 +
\rho{\sigma}^2, & |i-j|=1\\
 +
0, & otherwise
 +
  \end{array} \right.</math>
 +
 
 +
Suppose we take 2 consecutive samples from this sequence to form a vector <math>X</math>, which is then linearly transformed to form a 2-dimensional random vector <math>Y=AX</math>. Find a matrix <math>A</math> so that the components of <math>Y</math> are independent random variables You must justify your answer.
 
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=Solution 1=
 
=Solution 1=
  
The number of changeovers <math>Y</math> can be expressed as the sum of n-1 Bernoulli random variables:
+
Suppose
 +
 
 +
<math>A=\left(\begin{array}{cc}
 +
a & b\\
 +
c & d
 +
\end{array} \right)</math>.
 +
 
 +
Then the new 2-D random vector can be expressed as
 +
 
 +
<math>Y=\left(\begin{array}{c}Y_1 \\ Y_2\end{array} \right)=A\left(\begin{array}{c}X_i \\ X_j\end{array} \right)=\left(\begin{array}{c}aX_i+bX_j \\ cX_i+dX_j\end{array} \right)</math>
 +
 
  
<math>Y=\sum_{i=1}^{n-1}X_i</math>.
+
Therefore,
  
Therefore,
+
<math>\begin{array}{l}Cov(Y_1,Y_2)=E[(aX_i+bX_j-E(aX_i+bX_j))(cX_i+dX_j-E(cX_i+dX_j))] \\
 +
=E[(aX_i+bX_j-aE(X_i)-bE(X_j))(cX_i+dX_j-cE(X_i)-dE(X_j))] \\
 +
=E[acX_i^2+adX_iX_j-acX_iE(X_i)-adX_iE(X_j)+bcX_iX_j+bdX_j^2-bcX_jE(X_i)\\
 +
-bdX_jE(X_j)-acX_iE(X_i)-adX_jE(X_i)+acE(X_i)^2+adE(X_i)E(X_j)\\
 +
-bcX_iE(X_j)-bdX_jE(X_j)+bcE(X_i)E(X_j)+bdE(X_i)^2]\\
 +
=E(ac(X_i-E(X_i))^2+(ad+bc)(X_i-E(X_i)(X_j-E(X_j))+bd(X_j-E(X_j))^2]\\
 +
=(ac)Cov(X_i,X_i)+(ad+bc)Cov(X-i,X_j)+(bd)Cov(X_j,X_j)\\
 +
=ac\sigma^2+(ad+bc)\rho\sigma^2+bd\sigma^2
 +
\end{array}</math>
  
<math>E(Y)=E(\sum_{i=1}^{n-1}X_i)=\sum_{i=1}^{n-1}E(X_i)</math>.
+
Let the above formula equal to 0 and <math>a=b=d=1</math>, we get <math>c=-1</math>.
  
For Bernoulli random variables,
+
Therefore, a solution is
  
<math>E(X_i)=p(E_i=1)=p(1-p)+(1-p)p=2p(1-p)</math>.
+
<math>A=\left(\begin{array}{cc}
 +
1 & 1\\
 +
-1 & 1
 +
\end{array} \right)</math>.
  
Thus
 
  
<math>E(Y)=2(n-1)p(1-p)</math>.
 
  
 
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Revision as of 17:36, 3 November 2014


ECE Ph.D. Qualifying Exam

Communication, Networking, Signal and Image Processing (CS)

Question 1: Probability and Random Processes

August 2013



Part 2

Let $ X_1,X_2,... $ be a sequence of jointly Gaussian random variables with covariance

$ Cov(X_i,X_j) = \left\{ \begin{array}{ll} {\sigma}^2, & i=j\\ \rho{\sigma}^2, & |i-j|=1\\ 0, & otherwise \end{array} \right. $

Suppose we take 2 consecutive samples from this sequence to form a vector $ X $, which is then linearly transformed to form a 2-dimensional random vector $ Y=AX $. Find a matrix $ A $ so that the components of $ Y $ are independent random variables You must justify your answer.


Solution 1

Suppose

$ A=\left(\begin{array}{cc} a & b\\ c & d \end{array} \right) $.

Then the new 2-D random vector can be expressed as

$ Y=\left(\begin{array}{c}Y_1 \\ Y_2\end{array} \right)=A\left(\begin{array}{c}X_i \\ X_j\end{array} \right)=\left(\begin{array}{c}aX_i+bX_j \\ cX_i+dX_j\end{array} \right) $


Therefore,

$ \begin{array}{l}Cov(Y_1,Y_2)=E[(aX_i+bX_j-E(aX_i+bX_j))(cX_i+dX_j-E(cX_i+dX_j))] \\ =E[(aX_i+bX_j-aE(X_i)-bE(X_j))(cX_i+dX_j-cE(X_i)-dE(X_j))] \\ =E[acX_i^2+adX_iX_j-acX_iE(X_i)-adX_iE(X_j)+bcX_iX_j+bdX_j^2-bcX_jE(X_i)\\ -bdX_jE(X_j)-acX_iE(X_i)-adX_jE(X_i)+acE(X_i)^2+adE(X_i)E(X_j)\\ -bcX_iE(X_j)-bdX_jE(X_j)+bcE(X_i)E(X_j)+bdE(X_i)^2]\\ =E(ac(X_i-E(X_i))^2+(ad+bc)(X_i-E(X_i)(X_j-E(X_j))+bd(X_j-E(X_j))^2]\\ =(ac)Cov(X_i,X_i)+(ad+bc)Cov(X-i,X_j)+(bd)Cov(X_j,X_j)\\ =ac\sigma^2+(ad+bc)\rho\sigma^2+bd\sigma^2 \end{array} $

Let the above formula equal to 0 and $ a=b=d=1 $, we get $ c=-1 $.

Therefore, a solution is

$ A=\left(\begin{array}{cc} 1 & 1\\ -1 & 1 \end{array} \right) $.



Solution 2

For $ n $ flips, there are $ n-1 $ changeovers at most. Assume random variable $ k_i $ for changeover,

$ p({k_i}=1)=p(1-p)+(1-p)p=2p(1-p) $

$ E(k)=\sum_{i_1}^{n-1}p(k_i=1)=2(n-1)p(p-1) $

Critique on Solution 2:

It might be better to claim the changeover as a Bernoulli random variable so the logic is easier to understand.


Back to QE CS question 1, August 2013

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Alumni Liaison

Questions/answers with a recent ECE grad

Ryne Rayburn