Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / ii / Paper 4 / 26K (Probability and Measure)

Write $S_n={\sum }_{j=1}^n{Y}_j$ for the partial sum. Fix an integer $M\ge 1$. The tail-sum formula for expectation, applied to the nonnegative random variable $|Y_1|$, givesbecause $\mathbb{E}|Y_1|=\infty$. The events $\{|Y_n|>Mn\}$ are independent, so the second Borel--Cantelli lemma shows that $|Y_n|/n>M$ infinitely often with probability one. Taking the countable intersection over $M\in \mathbb{N}$ yieldsalmost surely.

Now $Y_n=S_n-S_{n-1}$, and the triangle inequality givesIf the limit superior of $|S_n|/n$ were finite, the right-hand side would have finite limit superior, contradicting the preceding conclusion. Thereforealmost surely.

Let $(Y_n)$ be independent and identically distributed random variables with the standard Cauchy distribution, whose probability density function isIts first absolute moment diverges sinceOn the other hand, its characteristic function is $\phi (t)=e^{-|t|}$. The characteristic function of a sum of independent variables therefore givesThus the stability of the Cauchy distribution implies that $S_n/n$ has the standard Cauchy distribution for every $n$. In particular,where $Z$ is standard Cauchy and $\stackrel{d}{\to }$ denotes convergence in distribution.