Chapter 9: Problem 106
Suppose that \(Y_{1}, Y_{2}, \ldots, Y_{n}\) denote a random sample from a Poisson distribution with mean \(\lambda\). Find the MVUE of \(P\left(Y_{i}=0\right)=e^{-\lambda} .\) [Hint: Make use of the Rao-Blackwell theorem.]
Short Answer
Expert verified
The MVUE of \( P(Y_i=0) = e^{-\lambda} \) is \( e^{-T/n} \), where \( T = \sum Y_i \).
Step by step solution
01
Identify the Estimator
First, note that the parameter of interest is the probability of obtaining zero from a Poisson distribution: \( P(Y_i = 0) = e^{- heta} \). Here, \( \theta \) represents the mean and variance of the Poisson distribution, denoted \( \lambda \).
02
State the Unbiased Estimator
The unbiased estimator for \( \lambda \) for a random sample from a Poisson distribution \( Y_1, Y_2, \ldots, Y_n \) is the sample mean \( \bar{Y} = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{n} Y_i \). This is an unbiased estimator since \( E(\bar{Y}) = \lambda \).
03
Apply Rao-Blackwell Theorem
To use the Rao-Blackwell theorem, we define a function \( g(\bar{Y}) = e^{-\bar{Y}} \) because \( e^{-\bar{Y}} \) is an unbiased estimator for \( P(Y_i = 0) = e^{-\lambda} \). The Rao-Blackwell theorem states that the MVUE can be derived by conditioning an unbiased estimator on a sufficient statistic.
04
Determine the Sufficient Statistic
For a Poisson distribution, the sufficient statistic for \( \lambda \) is \( T = \sum_{i=1}^{n} Y_i \). Thus, \( \bar{Y} = \frac{T}{n} \) is a function of the sufficient statistic.
05
Find Conditional Expectation
The expectation of \( e^{-\bar{Y}} \) conditioned on \( T \) is the same as using the fact that \( E(e^{-\bar{Y}}) = e^{-\lambda} \). Given that \( T \) holds the total sum from a Poisson distribution, the expected value \( E(e^{-\bar{Y}}|T) = e^{-T/n} \), where \( E(T) = n\lambda \), matches the original unbiased form.
06
Conclude with the Calculated MVUE
Given the derivations, the function of the sufficient statistic \( e^{-T/n} \) is concluded to be the MVUE for \( P(Y_i = 0) = e^{-\lambda} \). This is the minimum variance unbiased estimator sourced by using Rao-Blackwell.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Poisson Distribution
A Poisson distribution is a statistical concept that describes the probability of a given number of events happening in a fixed interval of time or space, provided these events occur with a known constant rate and independently of the time since the last event. Some key points about the Poisson distribution are:
- The parameter \( \lambda \) represents both the mean and the variance of the distribution. It indicates how often an event is likely to occur.
- The measure is particularly useful for modeling count data and rare events.
- The probability of observing exactly \( k \) events in an interval is given by the formula: \( P(X = k) = \frac{\lambda^k e^{-\lambda}}{k!} \), where \( k \) is a non-negative integer, \( \lambda \) is the average number of events, and \( e \) is the base of the natural logarithm.
Rao-Blackwell Theorem
The Rao-Blackwell Theorem is a fundamental theorem in the field of statistics that helps in obtaining a better estimator, known as the minimum variance unbiased estimator (MVUE). It allows us to improve the quality of an unbiased estimator by conditioning it on a sufficient statistic.
Key aspects of the Rao-Blackwell Theorem include:
- The theorem can be applied when an unbiased estimator and a sufficient statistic are available for the parameter of interest.
- By deriving the conditional expectation of an unbiased estimator given a sufficient statistic, one can obtain an estimator with a lower or equal variance.
- This results in an MVUE, which, as the name suggests, has the minimum variance among all unbiased estimators.
Sufficient Statistic
A sufficient statistic is a crucial concept in statistics, especially in the context of parameter estimation. It contains all the information needed to compute any estimate of a distribution parameter. Here are some important aspects of a sufficient statistic:
- A statistic \( T \) is said to be sufficient for a parameter \( \theta \) if the conditional distribution of the data given \( T \) does not depend on \( \theta \).
- For the Poisson distribution with mean \( \lambda \), the statistic \( T = \sum_{i=1}^{n} Y_i \) is sufficient. This means that all the information about \( \lambda \) in the sample is captured by this total sum.
- Using a sufficient statistic simplifies the estimation process, as estimators based on sufficient statistics are generally more efficient.