Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2025/ii/paper-4/5k/solution

For a model with fitted parameters, the Akaike information criterion is
where is the log-likelihood evaluated at the maximum-likelihood estimate.
In the normal linear model with known ,
The maximum-likelihood estimator is the ordinary least-squares estimator, with fitted mean , where
Since only the components of are fitted,
After multiplying by and discarding the model-independent constant, this is exactly Mallows Cp:
To compare it with prediction error, write and , where , the two errors are independent, and both have covariance . Since , is an orthogonal projection of rank , and
The cross term has zero expectation, so
On the other hand,
Therefore the unbiased prediction-error identity for ordinary least squares gives

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