Renewal interval containing a fixed time

The renewal interval containing $t$ has lengthSelection by a fixed observation time favours longer interarrival times.

For a nonnegative random variable $X$ with $0<\mathbb{E}X<\infty$, its size-biased version $\hat{X}$ is defined byfor bounded measurable $h$. If $X$ has density $f$, then $\hat{X}$ has density $xf(x)/\mathbb{E}X$.

For exponential interarrival times of rate $\lambda$, the age and residual life at time $t$ converge jointly to independent rate-$\lambda$ exponential variables. Their sum therefore converges to the gamma distribution with density ${\lambda }^{2}x{e}^{-\lambda x}$, the size-biased exponential law.

At every deterministic $t>0$, the containing interval stochastically dominates an unselected interarrival time:Conditioning on the first interarrival gives a renewal equation; subtracting the constant tail probability leaves a renewal equation with a nonnegative forcing term.