19.1. The Convolution Formula#

Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be discrete random variables and let \(S = X+Y\). We know that a good way to find the distribution of \(S\) is to partition the event \(\{ S = s\}\) according to values of \(X\). That is,

\[ P(S = s) ~ = ~ \sum_{\text{all }x} P(X = x, Y = s-x) \]

If \(X\) and \(Y\) are independent, this becomes the discrete convolution formula:

\[ P(S = s) ~ = ~ \sum_{\text{all }x} P(X = x)P(Y = s-x) \]

This formula has a straightforward continuous analog. Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be continuous random variables with joint density \(f\), and let \(S = X+Y\). Then the density of \(S\) is given by

\[ f_S(s) ~ = ~ \int_{-\infty}^\infty f(x, s-x)dx \]

which becomes the convolution formula when \(X\) and \(Y\) are independent:

\[ f_S(s) ~ = ~ \int_{-\infty}^\infty f_X(x)f_Y(s-x)dx \]

19.1.1. Sum of Two IID Exponential Random Variables#

Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be i.i.d. exponential \((\lambda)\) random variables and let \(S = X+Y\). For the sum to be \(s > 0\), neither \(X\) nor \(Y\) can exceed \(s\). The convolution formula says that the density of \(S\) is given by

\[\begin{split} \begin{align*} f_S(s) ~ &= ~ \int_0^s \lambda e^{-\lambda x} \lambda e^{-\lambda(s-x)} dx \\ \\ &= ~ \lambda^2 e^{-\lambda s} \int_0^s dx \\ \\ &=~ \lambda^2 s e^{-\lambda s} \end{align*} \end{split}\]

That’s the gamma \((2, \lambda)\) density, consistent with the claim made in the previous chapter about sums of independent gamma random variables.

Sometimes, the density of a sum can be found without the convolution formula.

19.1.2. Sum of Two IID Uniform \((0, 1)\) Random Variables#

Let \(S = U_1 + U_2\) where the \(U_i\)’s are i.i.d. uniform on \((0, 1)\). The gold stripes in the graph below show the events \(\{ S \in ds \}\) for various values of \(S\).

../../_images/01_Convolution_Formula_6_0.png

The joint density surface is flat. So the shape of the density of \(S\) depends only on the lengths of the stripes, which increase linearly between \(s = 0\) and \(s = 1\) and then decrease linearly between \(s = 1\) and \(s = 2\). So the joint density of \(S\) is triangular. The height of the triangle is 1 since the area of the triangle has to be 1.

../../_images/01_Convolution_Formula_8_0.png

At the other end of the difficulty scale, the integral in the convolution formula can sometimes be quite intractable. In the rest of the chapter we will develop a different way of identifying distributions of sums.