Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2003/iii/paper-79/1/e/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 79 1 e Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
All three normalized sums converge in probability to : the weak law of large numbers controls , and the two fixed random variables vanish after division by . Their rare fluctuations nevertheless differ. A fixed normal random variable would have to fluctuate by order to alter the mean by a fixed amount, and that costs . A fixed exponential random variable can do the same for a cost of order , exactly the large-deviation speed of the empirical mean.
Below , the optimal exponential contribution is zero, and the Gaussian empirical mean supplies the fluctuation. Above it, the optimal empirical mean remains at , while supplies . This explains the quadratic-to-linear change in the rate function and why only the upper tail is altered. Convergence to the same typical value does not imply the same large-deviation behavior.
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