Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / ia / Paper 2 / 12F / Solution

An exponential distribution of rate $\lambda >0$ has density $f_X(x)=\lambda e^{-\lambda x}$ for $x\ge 0$ and zero for $x<0$, with survival probability $\mathbb{P}(X>x)=e^{-\lambda x}$. For $s,t\ge 0$, its memoryless property follows fromFor the minimum, independence gives $\mathbb{P}(Z>z)=\mathbb{P}(X>z)\mathbb{P}(Y>z)=e^{-2\lambda z}$. HenceThe density is zero for negative $z$. The comparison probability follows from identical continuous laws and zero tie probability; directly it is ${\int }_0^{\infty }\lambda e^{-2\lambda y}dy=1/2$. These are competing exponential clocks.

For the last density, substitute $y=s^2$ into the normalizing integral to obtain $C=2{\int }_0^{\infty }{e}^{-s^2}ds=\sqrt{\pi }$, the Gaussian integral. Equivalently, each variable has a gamma distribution with shape $1/2$ and rate one. Independence permits convolution of the densities. For $z>0$,Putting $y=z{\sin }^2\theta$ turns the integral into $2{\int }_0^{\pi /2}d\theta =\pi$. ConsequentlyThis is also the additivity of independent gamma distributions with a common rate: their shapes add to one. Density values at the single endpoint zero are immaterial.