All Questions
87 questions
29
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is there a probability theory developed in intuitionistic logic?
Since Boole it is known that probability theory is closely related to logic.
According to the axioms of Kolmogorov, probability theory is formulated with a (normalized)
probability measure $\mbox{...
- 567
25
votes
6
answers
6k
views
Proof of Krylov-Bogoliubov theorem
Where can I find a proof (in English) of the Krylov-Bogoliubov theorem, which states if $X$ is a compact metric space and $T\colon X \to X$ is continuous, then there is a $T$-invariant Borel ...
- 897
20
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Does every compact metric space have a canonical probability measure?
Edit: Shortly after this post it was rightly pointed out by @AntonPetrunin that the measure $\mu$ may not be unique. @R W then showed how one can construct a metric space where the limiting measure is ...
- 203
19
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Measure induced on [0, 1] by infinite tosses of biased coin
It is well-known that one can get the Lebesgue measure on [0, 1] by tossing a fair coin infinitely (countably) many times and mapping each sequence to a real number written out in binary.
I was ...
- 675
18
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Reference for a strong intermediate value theorem for measures
Let $\mu$ be a finite nonatomic measure on a measurable space $(X,\Sigma)$, and for simplicity assume that $\mu(X) = 1$. There is a well-known "intermediate value theorem" of Sierpiński that states ...
- 5,407
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Prokhorov's theorem in non separable metric spaces
Recently, working in some calculations I needed to use the Prokhorov's theorem
about compactness for probability measures. However, a friend warned me that
I had not the hypotesis of separability ...
- 757
13
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Does this metric have an official name? Lévy metric? Ky Fan metric?
Let $X$ and $Y$ be random variables taking values in a separable metric space $(S,d)$. The metric I have in mind is
$$\rho(X,Y) = \mathbb{E}[\min\{d(X,Y),1\}]$$
if $X$ and $Y$ take values in the a ...
- 6,287
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Does there exist an event independent of a given sigma-algebra?
The following question came up in a discussion with my advisor:
Let $(\Omega, \mathcal F, \mathbb P)$ be a non-trivial probability space, and suppose that $\mathcal G$ is a proper sub-$\sigma$-...
- 8,512
12
votes
3
answers
870
views
Measure theory in nuclear spaces
Much of the literature on measure theory in linear spaces focuses on the case of normed linear spaces (e.g., the outstanding book by Vakhania, or its sequel). However, nuclear linear spaces "as far ...
- 8,512
11
votes
1
answer
500
views
Uncountable families of measurable sets with pairwise positive intersections
Let $(X,\mathcal{B},\mu)$ be an arbitrary finitely additive probability measure space, let $a>0$ and let $(A_i)_{i\in I}$ be an uncountable family of subsets with measure $\geq a$.
Is there an ...
- 10.6k
11
votes
1
answer
950
views
Uniformization/measurable selection theorems
Let $X,Y$ be measurable spaces and $F\subseteq X\times Y$. We say that $f:X\to Y$ is a uniformization map for $F$ if $(x,f(x))\in F$ for each $x\in \pi_X(F)$ where $\pi_X$ is the left projection map. ...
- 1,655
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Continuity of the mutual information
The mutual information $I(\mathfrak A_1;\mathfrak A_2)$ of two complete $\sigma$-algebras $\mathfrak A_1$ and $\mathfrak A_2$ in a Lebesgue probability space $(X,m)$ is the integral of the logarithm ...
- 17k
9
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Symmetries of probability distributions
When talking about a single random variable, knowing only its distribution, the construction of a probability space is quite easy. Namely, let $(X,\mathscr A)$ be a measurable space and let $\mathsf Q$...
- 1,655
9
votes
2
answers
548
views
What mode of convergence is this?
I'm interested in a new (to me) mode of convergence which is stronger than convergence in measure/probability. I want to know if it has a name and if it is used much in the literature. I will write ...
- 6,287
8
votes
4
answers
776
views
Self-contained formalization of random variables?
I have not been able to find any formalization of random variables that supports construction of new random variables dependent on previously constructed ones. In what I have found, a random variable $...
- 2,912
8
votes
1
answer
726
views
continuity of the Boltzmann entropy in the Wasserstein metric
For Lebesgue-absolutely continuous probability measures $\rho\ll \mathcal{L}^d$ in the whole space $\mathbb{R}^d$ with finite second moments (i-e $\rho\in \mathcal{P}^2_{ac}(\mathbb{R}^d)$), let
$$
\...
- 5,380
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Conditional law as a random measure and convergence of random measures
I'm looking for a reference book or article for the following two facts. In both statements, a Polish space $E$ and an ambient probability space $(\Omega, {\cal A}, \Pr)$ are given, and I consider ...
- 2,560
8
votes
0
answers
729
views
Density of countably additive measure in the set of all finitely additive measures.
Let $S$ be a countable discrete set, the following two results are quite easy to prove:
Every countably additive probability measure $\mu$ on $S$ commutes (in Fubini's sense) with every finitely ...
- 6,034
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Convex hulls of families of probability measures
Let $X$ be a standard Borel space, so that the space of Borel probability measures on $X$ is also a standard Borel space. We denote it by $\mathcal P(X)$.
In this paper for any family of probability ...
- 1,655
7
votes
1
answer
453
views
Do the terms of an iid sequence whose law has infinite expected value necessarily exceed the partial sums of the sequence infinitely often?
Let $\mu$ be a probability measure on $(0,\infty)$, and let $(\mathbf X_n)_1^\infty$ be a sequence of independent $\mu$-distributed random variables. Fix $\kappa > 0$, and consider
A) $\int x \; d\...
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Reference request: norm topology vs. probabilist's weak topology on measures
Let $(X,d)$ be a metric space and $\mathcal{M}(X)$ be the space of regular (e.g. Radon) measures on $X$. There are two standard topologies on $\mathcal{M}(X)$: The (probabilist's) weak topology and ...
- 710
6
votes
1
answer
196
views
Simultaneous simulation of all probability measures on a compact metric space
A well known fact in probability is that a uniform random variable on $[0,1]$ can be used to simulate any other probability distribution on $\mathbb{R}$.
A standard way of doing this is to define, ...
- 4,304
6
votes
2
answers
700
views
Wiener Measure measure on functions?
I know that the Wiener measure for the Brownian motion $\{B_t\}_{t\ge 0}$ on the probability space $(\Omega, \mathscr{F},P)$ can be defined as $\mu=P\circ B^{-1}$ acting on the sigma-algebra generated ...
6
votes
3
answers
938
views
Uniformly distributed sequence in $\mathbb{R}$
We say that a sequence $(x_n)_{n=1}^\infty \subseteq \mathbb{R}$ is "uniformly distributed in $[a,b]$", with $a < b$, if $(x_n)_{n=1}^\infty \cap [a,b] \neq \varnothing$ and
$$\lim_{N \to \infty} \...
- 61
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
About the generating structure of Borel field
This is a graduate-level measure theory problem. I have thought throught it and asked on math.SE but received no satisfying answer.
On P.32 of [P.Billingsley] Probability and Measure, 3ed, 1993, the ...
- 8,071
5
votes
2
answers
589
views
Properties of measures that are not countably additive but have countably additive null ideals
This is a very naive question, maybe more of a reference request than anything else.
Let $(X, \mathcal X)$ be a measurable space. If $m$ is a real-valued function on $\mathcal X$, we say that $m$ has ...
- 869
5
votes
1
answer
492
views
Coupling of non-probability/sub-probability measures
A coupling of two probability measures $P,\tilde P$ on a Borel space $X$ is any probability measure on $X^2$ whose one-dimensional marginals are $P$ and $\tilde P$. In particular, for any such ...
- 1,655
5
votes
2
answers
791
views
What is this disintegration-like theorem?
This is cross-posted at MSE.
I'm looking for a reference for the following result. It seems like it must be known, or follow quickly from something known, but I have not been able to find it in any ...
- 153
5
votes
1
answer
386
views
Lower semi-continuity of the Hellinger-Fisher-Rao distance
I am currently working on unbalanced optimal transport, where the Hellinger (or sometimes Fisher-Rao) distance
$$
H^2(\rho,\mu)=\int_{\Omega}\left|\sqrt{\frac{d\rho}{d\lambda}}-\sqrt{\frac{d\mu}{d\...
- 5,380
5
votes
0
answers
135
views
Criteria for tightness of Gaussian measures on Banach spaces
In Bogachev's book "Gaussian Measures" (Example 3.8.13) sufficient conditions for the (uniform) tightness of a sequence of centered Borel Gaussian probability measures on a separable Hilbert ...
- 505
5
votes
1
answer
363
views
Inverse marginal property of a collection of $\sigma$-algebras
In my paper "On the inverse best approximation property of systems of subspaces of a Hilbert space"
I introduced the Inverse marginal property (IMP) for a collection of $\sigma$-algebras.
Let $(\...
- 935
4
votes
2
answers
615
views
Convergence of conditional measures for a convergent sequence of probabilities whose projection is constant
Setting
Suppose $\mu_n$ is a sequence of probability measures on $[0,1]\times [0,1]$ converging to a limit probability $\mu$ meaning that
$$ \lim_{n\to+\infty}\int f(x,y)d\mu_n(x,y) = \int f(x,y)d\mu(...
- 4,304
4
votes
2
answers
374
views
Vague convergence: confusion about the regularity of a signed Radon measure and that of its variation
I'm reading a proof of below theorem from this paper.
Theorem A.3. Let $\Omega$ be a locally compact normal Hausdorff space. Let $\left\{\mu_n\right\} \cup\{\mu\} \subset \mathcal{M}(\Omega)$ and ...
- 657
4
votes
1
answer
205
views
How probability-rich is the $\sigma$-algebra generated by a sequence of sets? (Sierpiński's theorem on non-atomic measures without using the AoC.)
$\newcommand\F{\mathcal F}\newcommand\si{\sigma}\newcommand\Om{\Omega}\newcommand\ep{\varepsilon}$Let $p\in(0,1)$ and let $(\Om,\F,P)$ be a probability space. Let $(A_n)$ be a sequence in $\F$ such ...
- 128k
4
votes
1
answer
188
views
Absolute continuity of measures - reference sought
For two measures $\mu, \nu$ on the same space say that $\mu$ is absolutely continuous with respect to $\nu$ ($\mu \ll \nu$) whenever $\nu(A)=0$ implies that $\mu(A)=0$ too.
Let $(\Omega, \mathsf P$) ...
- 11.3k
4
votes
2
answers
255
views
Are the sublevel sets of Boltzmann entropy compact in Wasserstein distance?
For Lebesgue-absolutely continuous probability measures $\rho\ll \mathcal{L}^d$ in the whole space $\mathbb{R}^d$ with finite second moments (i-e $\rho\in \mathcal{P}^2_{ac}(\mathbb{R}^d)$), let
$$
\...
- 835
4
votes
2
answers
667
views
Convergence (topology) for $\sigma$-finite measures
I'm having much trouble finding literature that addresses the questions which I write below. I was wondering if someone could help me out to understand better, either by providing references or by ...
- 361
4
votes
1
answer
265
views
Bounds on discrepancy metric of product measures
Consider two measurable spaces $X_1 = (\mathbb{R}^m,\mathcal{B}(\mathbb{R}^m),\mu_1)$ and $X_2 = (\mathbb{R}^m,\mathcal{B}(\mathbb{R}^m),\mu_2)$ and the product spaces
$$X_1^{q} = (\times_{i=1}^q\...
- 2,712
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
For what nonnegative measures $\mu$ does $\mu*e^{-|\cdot|}\in L^{\infty}$?
I am trying to characterize all measures on $\mathbb{R}$ such that
$$
\sup_{x\in\mathbb{R}} \: (\mu*f)(x)<+\infty,
$$
where $f(x)$ is some specific integrable functions, such as $f(x)=e^{-|x|}$, ...
- 1,649
3
votes
3
answers
656
views
Free probability with unbounded random variables?
This is partially inspired by this question and this blog post.
When trying to express classical probability in the "free probability" setting one takes an algebra of random variables equipped with ...
- 677
3
votes
2
answers
102
views
Reference for Wiener type measure on $C(T)$ when $T$ is open
I'm considering Gaussian process on open domain $T$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$ and I tried to follow the abstract Wiener space construction of Gross. Since my sample paths are meant to be continuous, I thought ...
- 163
3
votes
1
answer
732
views
What does $\pi$ in the term $\pi$-system stand for?
In measure theory, what does the $\pi$ in $\pi$-system stand for? Also, what about the $\lambda$ in $\lambda$-system? I want to know why Dynkin chosen these names, and why these names make sense.
- 276
3
votes
1
answer
415
views
Well-definedness of maximum likelihood estimation
Consider a family $\{\mu_\theta:\theta\in\Theta\}$ of probability measures on a measurable space $X$. Given $x\in X$, the maximum likelihood estimate is the value of $\theta$ which maximizes the ...
- 2,247
3
votes
1
answer
220
views
Conditional expectation as square-loss minimizer over continuous functions
It is well-known that the conditional expectation of a square-integrable random variable $Y$ given another (real) random variable $X$ can be obtained by minimizing the mean square loss between $Y$ and ...
- 463
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
From Lebesgue Integral to Stieltjes Integral, and integration by parts
Let $X$ be a real random variable with c.d.f function $F$.
Let $g$ be an increasing measurable real function and assume that $\mathbb{E}\left[g(X)\right]$ exists (and is finite).
What additional ...
- 591
3
votes
1
answer
940
views
What is the mathematical characterization of sufficient statistics of a given $\sigma$-dominated probability model?
Given a probability model $\mathcal{P}=\{P_{\theta},\theta \in \Theta \}$ dominated by a $\sigma$-finite measure $\lambda$ (e.g. Lebesgue measure) on a locally compact space $\cal{X}$ along with $\...
- 8,071
3
votes
0
answers
130
views
A Talagrand inequality for the supremum of partial sums over function classes under dependence. (Reference request)
As a consequence to the Talagrand concentration inequality, it is well known that for a measurable space $(S,\mathcal{S})$ and an i.i.d. sample $X_1,...,X_n$ of $S$-valued random variables, if $\...
- 141
3
votes
0
answers
237
views
Reference request: Darboux properties of real-valued set functions (measures, densities, etc.)
Fix a set $S$ and let $f: \mathcal P(S) \rightharpoonup \mathbf R$ be a real-valued partial function on the power set of $S$; denote by $\mathcal D$ the domain of $f$. We say that $f$ has:
(i) the ...
- 10.5k
2
votes
1
answer
235
views
Kolmogoroff condition for truncated random variables
Question summary. Does the Kolmogoroff condition $\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{\mathbb V Y_n}{n^2} < \infty$ hold for truncated random variables $Y_n := X_n \cdot 1_{\{X_n \le n\}}$ (see below for a more ...
- 1,326
2
votes
1
answer
170
views
Law of large numbers for a continuum of Bernoullis
Suppose I have a family of $n$ independent Bernoulli random variables described by a vector of parameters $(p_i)_{i=1}^n$. As it is well known, the number of successes within this family is a random ...
