Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / iii / Paper 201 / 2 / a

For the forward implication, let $(M_n)$ be a martingale and let the stopping time $T$ satisfy $0\le T\le N$ for a deterministic integer $N$. The stopped variable is integrable because it uses only finitely many integrable values. The pathwise identityexpresses it through martingale increments. Since $\{T\ge j\}=\{T>j-1\}\in {\mathcal{F}}_{j-1}$, each summand has expectation zero by conditional expectation. ConsequentlyThis proves the bounded-time case of the optional stopping theorem directly; no assumptions about an unbounded stopping time are being used.

For the converse in the characterization of a martingale by stopped expectations, fix $n\ge 0$ and $A\in {\mathcal{F}}_n$. Define the bounded stopping timeIndeed, its only nontrivial sublevel event is $\{T_A\le n\}=A^c\in {\mathcal{F}}_n$. Applying the assumed stopped-expectation equality to $T_A$ and to the deterministic stopping time $n$ givesThis holds for every $A\in {\mathcal{F}}_n$. Since $M_n$ is adapted and both variables are integrable, the defining test-event property of conditional expectation yieldsTogether with the given adaptation and integrability, this is exactly the martingale property.