Moments for Linear Combinations of Independent Random Variables

Free SOA Exam P (Probability) lesson in Multivariate Random Variables. 20 min read, ~2,932 words.

Mean is linear (always):, no independence needed. Variance under independence:, coefficients SQUARED. Constants vanish from variance:. Negative coefficients stay positive:, so every variance contribution is non-negative. Sample mean: for iid; use when independent but not identical. Dependence adds covariance: when not independent, add to the variance. Second moment:. Convert distributions...

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