17. Independence of Random Variables
The chapter presents the concept of independence of random variables, which is crucial in probability and statistics, particularly for modeling uncertainty in various systems. It discusses types of random variables, joint distributions, and conditions for independence for both discrete and continuous variables. Key applications of independence in Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and statistical modeling are also illustrated.
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What we have learnt
- Independence of random variables implies that the joint distribution equals the product of marginal distributions.
- Independence simplifies the solution of PDEs and stochastic models.
- Conditions for independence can be checked via specific probability formulas for discrete and continuous random variables.
- Independence plays a vital role in engineering applications such as control systems and communication systems.
Key Concepts
- -- Random Variable
- A function that assigns a real number to each outcome in a sample space, categorized as either discrete or continuous.
- -- Joint Distribution
- The probability structure of two or more random variables, described using Joint Probability Mass Function (PMF) for discrete variables and Joint Probability Density Function (PDF) for continuous variables.
- -- Independence of Random Variables
- Two random variables are independent if the occurrence of one does not affect the probability distribution of the other.
- -- Covariance Test
- A statistical method indicating that if the covariance between two variables is zero, they may be uncorrelated but not necessarily independent.
- -- Mutual Information
- A measure that indicates the dependency between two variables; zero mutual information implies independence.
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