Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ib/paper-4/9h/b/solution

By independence of the two simple random walks, linearity of expectation, and symmetry of their transition probabilities,
The Chapman-Kolmogorov equation identifies the inner sum as , so
A simple random walk on the integer line can return to only at an even time. Since it is recurrent at , part (a) gives
Therefore .

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