Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-40/1/b/solution

For the exponential distribution of mean , . Substitution into the geometric-sum moment-generating function gives
This is the moment-generating function of an exponential distribution with rate . By the uniqueness theorem for moment-generating functions, the geometric sum of exponential variables therefore has probability density function
Its expected value is , agreeing with in the random sum of independent claims formula.

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