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See also: algebra of expectation, random variable | ![]() ![]() |
The mathematical expectation is a concept which is often misunderstood and confused with the mean. In fact the expectation could be the mean, but must not necessarily be the same. The expectation is a more general concept which provides a formalism to estimate the expected value of a random variable (a function) for a population with a known probability distribution function. The expectation of a continuous random variable can be calculated as follows
The corresponding equation for discrete random variables is
n .... number of observations
g(x) .... random variable
f(x) .... probability distribution function
p(xi) .... probability of the observation i
The expectation can be used to compute the mean by simply
using g(x) = x as the random variable:
If the probabilities of all n observations p()
are equal, i.e. p(
)
= 1/n, this equation can be reduced to
There are several rules concerning
expectation values which can be applied to derive the expected values
of more complicated random variables.
Last Update: 2006-Jän-17