For an independent sample with cumulative distribution function , the empirical distribution process converges in the supremum norm on to the F-Brownian bridge. The convergence uses outer expectation and inner expectation when finite-sample Borel measurability fails. It is a full function-space theorem, stronger than the Finite-dimensional Brownian bridge limit of an empirical distribution process. No continuity of is required. The continuous mapping theorem gives convergence of the supremum statistic; for continuous , its range contains and the bridge vanishes at zero and one, giving the Kolmogorov-Smirnov theorem. The function-space statement is stated here as a theorem; its tightness assertion is an additional ingredient beyond the finite-dimensional covariance calculation.
Outer expectation 2026-10-14
For a bounded possibly nonmeasurable real function on a probability space, its outer expectation is the infimum of expected values of measurable majorants. Its inner expectation is . They agree with the usual expected value for measurable . This permits function-space convergence in distribution for an empirical distribution process whose paths are not Borel-measurable in a nonseparable norm topology: both expectations of each bounded continuous test functional must approach its ordinary expectation under the tight measurable limiting law.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 31 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The empirical distribution function isIf is a standard Brownian motion on , the standard Brownian bridge is . It is a centred Gaussian process with continuous paths, endpoints zero, and covarianceThe F-Brownian bridge is the time-changed Gaussian process . Its covariance is , exactly the covariance of the empirical distribution process .
The Donsker theorem for empirical distribution functions states that for every cumulative distribution function ,Thus this is a function-space central limit theorem, not merely convergence of each finite collection of evaluations. The limit is a tight centred Gaussian process. No continuity of is required for this statement; a jump of can give a jump of .
For precision, is generally nonseparable, and the finite-sample process need not be a Borel-measurable random element for its norm topology. The displayed convergence in distribution has the usual empirical-process interpretation: for every bounded continuous real functional , the outer expectation and inner expectation of converge to . The outer expectation is the infimum of expectations of measurable majorants, and the inner expectation is its negative applied to . For measurable real statistics this gives ordinary convergence in distribution. The limit is tight and separably supported: maps the separable space of continuous bridge paths continuously into .
The map is Lipschitz, sinceConsequently the continuous mapping theorem applied to the Donsker theorem for empirical distribution functions gives . The statistic on the left is measurable: both and are right-continuous, so its supremum equals the supremum over rational .
If is continuous, its limits at and are zero and one. The intermediate value theorem therefore shows that contains , even when is not strictly increasing. A continuous Brownian bridge is zero at its endpoints, so pathwiseWe obtain the Kolmogorov-Smirnov theorem in the required form:Continuity of is what makes the limit independent of the unknown cumulative distribution function.
Choose with . The law of has no atoms. For example, the Brownian reflection principle and conditioning a Brownian motion on its endpoint give for : the reflected endpoint density at zero is the normal density at , divided by its value at zero. Hence both one-sided maxima have continuous laws, and an atom of would require an atom of one of them. Also , since is nondegenerate. Thus such quantiles give the desired limiting coverage.
An asymptotic simultaneous confidence band isIndeed, because , the event that for every is precisely . Its probability tends to . This is simultaneous coverage over all real , rather than separate pointwise confidence intervals.