Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2003/ia/paper-2/3f/a/solution

For a nonnegative integer-valued random variable , its probability generating function is
initially defined at least for . A general real-valued random variable need not have a probability generating function in this sense. For a binomial distribution, the binomial theorem gives
Differentiating the generating function produces factorial moments:
Since , the mean and variance are
These formulas include the degenerate endpoint probabilities and .

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