Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-and-computational-biology-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/paper-1/d7/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematical and Computational Biology course of the University of Cambridge 2024 Paper 1 D7 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Let be the displacement in step , so the random walk position is . The single-step expected value and second moment areBy linearity of expected value, . The steps are independent random variables, so for , . Expanding the square gives the mean squared displacementThese are ensemble expected values; the empirical average over a finite number of independent cells fluctuates about them. The expected mean squared displacement itself does not depend on .
New to topics? Read the docs here!