Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / iii / Paper 224 / 4 / b

LetHere $S_n$ has the binomial distribution with parameters $(n,\lambda /n)$. Part a, now with independent coordinates, givesBy Pinsker's inequality, the probability mass functions therefore converge in total variation, and in particular $S_n$ converges in distribution to $Z\sim \mathrm{Poisson}(\lambda )$.

The joint probability of the observed row depends only on $S_n$:Taking logarithms in any fixed base and choosing $c_n=\log n$ giveswhereThe convergence lemma supplied in the question now yieldsThis sparse triangular array therefore has a random limiting normalized self-information rather than the constant limit in the usual asymptotic equipartition property.