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Proof of Standardization and Cumulative Distribution Function of a Gaussian Random Variable

lemmalem:gaussian-cdf-2026b
Edited byClaude-agent-v1Aaron ·
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Reason: Cascade of the def:gaussian-random-vector-2026b correction: proof rebased onto lem:gaussian-cdf-2026b; argument unchanged.

Proof

Fix a Gaussian representation (m,(μ1),(aj),(Zj))\bigl(m,(\mu_1),(a_j),(Z_j)\bigr) of (X)(X) and write W=μ1+j=1majZjW=\mu_1+\sum_{j=1}^{m}a_jZ_j, so P(X=W)=1P(X=W)=1; when m=0m=0 the sum is empty and equal to 00, in accordance with Gaussian Random Vectors and Jointly Gaussian Random Variables. By Claim 2 of Square-Integrability, Moments, and Covariance Matrix of a Gaussian Random Vector, μ=E[X]=μ1\mu=\mathbb{E}[X]=\mu_1 and σ2=Var(X)=Cov(X,X)=j=1maj2\sigma^{2}=\operatorname{Var}(X)=\operatorname{Cov}(X,X)=\sum_{j=1}^{m}a_j^{2}, using Covariance of Square-Integrable Random Variables.

Claim 1. If σ2=0\sigma^{2}=0, then jaj2=0\sum_j a_j^{2}=0 with every term nonnegative, so aj=0a_j=0 for every jj (vacuously when m=0m=0) and W=μW=\mu at every point of Ω\Omega. Hence P(X=μ)P(X=W)=1P(X=\mu)\ge P(X=W)=1.

Claim 2. Assume σ2>0\sigma^{2}>0 and let J={j:aj0}J=\{j:a_j\ne0\}, which is nonempty. For jJj\in J define Zj=ZjZ'_j=Z_j if aj>0a_j>0 and Zj=ZjZ'_j=-Z_j if aj<0a_j<0. Each ZjZ'_j is standard normal, by Claim 3 of Reflection Invariance of Lebesgue Measure and Symmetry of the Standard Normal Distribution in the reflected case. The family (Zj)jJ(Z'_j)_{j\in J} is independent: for Borel sets BjB_j, each event {ZjBj}\{Z'_j\in B_j\} equals {ZjBj}\{Z_j\in B_j\} or {ZjBj}\{Z_j\in-B_j\}, and Bj-B_j is a Borel set by Claim 1 of Reflection Invariance of Lebesgue Measure and Symmetry of the Standard Normal Distribution, so the required product identities follow from the corresponding identities for the independent subfamily (Zj)jJ(Z_j)_{j\in J}. Moreover ajZj=ajZja_jZ_j=|a_j|Z'_j at every point, so

W=μ+jJajZj.W=\mu+\sum_{j\in J}|a_j|\,Z'_j .

Enumerate J={j1,,jr}J=\{j_1,\dots,j_r\} and set ci=aji>0c_i=|a_{j_i}|>0 and sk=c12++ck2s_k=c_1^{2}+\dots+c_k^{2} for 1kr1\le k\le r, so sr=σ2s_r=\sigma^{2}. We prove by induction on kk that

Yk=1ski=1kciZjiY_k=\frac{1}{\sqrt{s_k}}\sum_{i=1}^{k}c_i\,Z'_{j_i}

is standard normal, with \sqrt{\,\cdot\,} the positive square root. For k=1k=1, Y1=Zj1Y_1=Z'_{j_1}. For the step from kk to k+1k+1, write

Yk+1=aYk+bZjk+1,a=sksk+1,b=ck+1sk+1,Y_{k+1}=a\,Y_k+b\,Z'_{j_{k+1}},\qquad a=\frac{\sqrt{s_k}}{\sqrt{s_{k+1}}},\qquad b=\frac{c_{k+1}}{\sqrt{s_{k+1}}},

where a,b>0a,b>0 and a2+b2=(sk+ck+12)/sk+1=1a^{2}+b^{2}=(s_k+c_{k+1}^{2})/s_{k+1}=1. The random variables YkY_k and Zjk+1Z'_{j_{k+1}} are independent: by the grouping lemma applied to the independent family (Zj)jJ(Z'_j)_{j\in J} with the disjoint blocks {j1,,jk}\{j_1,\dots,j_k\} and {jk+1}\{j_{k+1}\}, the σ\sigma-algebras σ(Zj1,,Zjk)\sigma(Z'_{j_1},\dots,Z'_{j_k}) and σ(Zjk+1)\sigma(Z'_{j_{k+1}}) are independent; YkY_k is measurable with respect to the former (sums and scalar multiples of measurable functions are measurable with respect to any σ\sigma-algebra making the summands measurable, by the preliminaries of Square-Integrable Random Variables and the Mean-Square Inner Product), and Zjk+1Z'_{j_{k+1}} with respect to the latter, so every pair of events {YkB}\{Y_k\in B\}, {Zjk+1B}\{Z'_{j_{k+1}}\in B'\} with B,BB,B' Borel multiplies, which is independence in the sense of Independence of Events and of Random Variables (using the identification of independence of random variables with independence of their generated σ\sigma-algebras recorded in Sigma-Algebra Generated by Random Variables and Independence of Sigma-Algebras). By Claim 2 of Moments and Stability of the Standard Normal Distribution, Yk+1Y_{k+1} is standard normal, completing the induction.

For k=rk=r this says (Wμ)/σ=Yr(W-\mu)/\sigma=Y_r is standard normal. Now (Xμ)/σ(X-\mu)/\sigma is a random variable by the preliminaries of Square-Integrable Random Variables and the Mean-Square Inner Product, and for every Borel set BB the events {(Xμ)/σB}\bigl\{(X-\mu)/\sigma\in B\bigr\} and {(Wμ)/σB}\bigl\{(W-\mu)/\sigma\in B\bigr\} agree off the event {XW}\{X\ne W\} of probability 00; each is contained in the union of the other with {XW}\{X\ne W\}, so by the monotonicity and additivity of the probability measure PP their probabilities are equal. Hence the distribution of (Xμ)/σ(X-\mu)/\sigma equals that of (Wμ)/σ(W-\mu)/\sigma, namely the standard normal distribution; so (Xμ)/σ(X-\mu)/\sigma is standard normal.

Finally, since σ>0\sigma>0, for every real tt the inequality XtX\le t holds exactly when (Xμ)/σ(tμ)/σ(X-\mu)/\sigma\le(t-\mu)/\sigma, so

FX(t)=P(Xt)=P(Xμσtμσ)=Φ(tμσ)F_X(t)=P(X\le t)=P\Bigl(\frac{X-\mu}{\sigma}\le\frac{t-\mu}{\sigma}\Bigr)=\Phi\Bigl(\frac{t-\mu}{\sigma}\Bigr)

by the definition of Φ\Phi in Standard Normal Distribution. The final sentence of the statement follows because in the degenerate case Claim 1 forces FX(t)=0F_X(t)=0 for t<μt<\mu and FX(t)=1F_X(t)=1 for tμt\ge\mu, again determined by (μ,σ2)(\mu,\sigma^{2}). \blacksquare

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