Are Two Random Numbers More Likely to Have a Quotient Closer to an Odd Integer?

In summary, the probability of ##x/y## being closer to an odd integer than an even integer is given by ##f(x) = \frac \pi 2 x## for ##x \le \frac 1 2## and ##f(x) = \frac \pi 2 x + 1 - 2x## for ##x > \frac 1 2##. This is because for ##x \le \frac 1 2##, the probability is simply the sum of intervals for ##y## for odd ##n##, while for ##x > \frac 1 2##, we need to subtract the additional interval ##[0, 2x-1]## from the sum
  • #1
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Homework Statement
Given two random numbers ##x##, ##y##, what is the probability ##x/y## is closer to an odd integer than an even integer?
Relevant Equations
Nothing comes to mind.
Closer to odd number implies ##|y/x - (2n+1)| < 1/2## for ##n = 0,1,2...##. Then
$$-\frac 1 2 < \frac y x - (2n+1) < \frac 1 2 \implies\\
y < (2n + 1.5)x,\\
y > (2n + 0.5)x$$
for each ##n##. We note ##x \in (0,1)## implies ##y## can be larger than 1 since the slope is greater than 1 (but we know it can't be). So the integration limits would not be uniform, and thus more work is needed. Fortunately, the problem is identical if we take ##x/y##, which implies the slopes are inverse of what I wrote, and therefore always less than 1, which implies the integration limits can are ##0,1##. This implies probability ##P## is equal to
$$P = \sum_n \int_0^1 \left( \frac{1}{2n + 1.5}x - \frac{1}{2n + 0.5}x \right) \, dx \implies\\
P = \frac 1 2 \sum_n \frac{1}{0.5 + 2n} - \frac{1}{1.5 + 2n}$$. This sum is ##P = 1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...## which is similar to expansion of ##\log(2)## but that's all I know. This sum is not telescoping (at least not immediately so). Intuitively we know this must converge (just plot the integrals for various ##n## and it's clear the area is finite). But I don't know how to proceed. Or is leaving this in open form the best we can do?

EDIT: linebreak doesn't seem to work. Have I missed something in latest syntax?
 
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  • #2
I don't know about your proof, but 1 - 1/3 + 1/5 - 1/7 ... = π/4
Why do you omit the first two terms (corresponding to n = 0)?
 
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  • #3
mjc123 said:
I don't know about your proof, but 1 - 1/3 + 1/5 - 1/7 ... = π/4
Why do you omit the first two terms (corresponding to n = 0)?
Brain fart, I just spaced it. But how are we supposed to know that series converges to ##\pi/4##?

EDIT: actually, the ##n=0## case is special, since the integration bounds change!
 
  • #4
I wrote a Python simulation to get the answer. It's not ##\frac \pi 4##, which seems too close to ##1##.
 
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  • #5
PeroK said:
I wrote a Python simulation to get the answer. It's not ##\frac \pi 4##, which seems too close to ##1##.
It's because the solution is $$1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...+1-\int_0^{1/2}2x \, dx$$ since ##x,y<1##. The integral at ##n=0## has slope greater than 1 for one of the integrands. So answer is ##1-1/4+1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...=\pi/4-7/12##?
 
  • #6
Intuitively, I don't see how it could be anything other than 1/2.
Is there a limit on the range of your random numbers? (Sorry, I see the range limits in the title)
 
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  • #7
joshmccraney said:
It's because the solution is $$1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...+1-\int_0^{1/2}2x \, dx$$ since ##x,y<1##. The integral at ##n=0## has slope greater than 1 for one of the integrands. So answer is ##1-1/4+1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...=\pi/4-7/12##?
##\pi/4 - 7/12 \approx 0.202## seems much too small.
I ran some simulations of one billion samples each and seem to get a fairly consistent value. (Not the 1/2 that my intuition told me.)
 
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  • #8
FactChecker said:
##\pi/4 - 7/12 \approx 0.202## seems much too small.
I ran some simulations of one billion samples each and seem to get a fairly consistent value. (Not the 1/2 that my intuition told me.)
Okay, I think I got it. Two mistakes in my first post: 1) integration difference is flipped (typo) and 2) treatment of ##n=0##. So we have
$$P =P_0 + \sum_{n=1} \int_0^1 \left( \frac{1}{2n + 0.5}x - \frac{1}{2n + 1.5}x \right) \, dx \implies\\
P = P_0+ 1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...$$
where $$P_0 = \int_0^{1/2} \left(\frac{1}{0 + 0.5}x - \frac{1}{0 + 1.5}x \right) \, dx + \int_{1/2}^1 \left(1 - \frac{1}{0 + 1.5}x \right) \, dx = 1/4 + 1/6$$. Then ##P = 5/12 - 1 + 1/3 +(1-1/3+1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...) = \pi/4-1/4 \approx 0.53...## which agrees with my python calculations too. But how am I supposed to know that series converges to ##\pi/4##? I'd have never known this. Just common knowledge I guess?
 
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  • #9
joshmccraney said:
It's because the solution is $$1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...+1-\int_0^{1/2}2x \, dx$$ since ##x,y<1##. The integral at ##n=0## has slope greater than 1 for one of the integrands. So answer is ##1-1/4+1/5-1/7+1/9-1/11+...=\pi/4-7/12##?
My point is that if you write a simulation you can check whether you are correct.
 
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  • #10
joshmccraney said:
But how am I supposed to know that series converges to ##\pi/4##? I'd have never known this. J
This is quite famous, using the Taylor expansion for ##\tan^{-1}(1) = \frac \pi 4##.
 
  • #11
joshmccraney said:
Homework Statement:: Given two random numbers ##x##, ##y##, what is the probability ##x/y## is closer to an odd integer than an even integer?
I do not understand why you are summing over n. From the above statement of the problem, I would think you want to find ##P[\min_n |\frac xy-\frac 1{2n+1}|<\min_n |\frac xy-\frac 1{2n}|]##.
 
  • #12
haruspex said:
I do not understand why you are summing over n. From the above statement of the problem, I would think you want to find ##P[\min_n |\frac xy-\frac 1{2n+1}|<\min_n |\frac xy-\frac 1{2n}|]##.

The OP's approach seems like the obvious one.

In general, for ##\frac x y## to be closest to the integer ##n## we need:
$$y \in [\frac{2x}{2n+1}, \frac{2x}{2n - 1}]$$This is a problem only when ##x \ge \frac 1 2## and ##n = 1##. In which case, we have ##y \in [\frac{2x}{3}, 1]##.

For ##x \le \frac 1 2##, we have a sum of intervals for ##y## for odd ##n##:
$$f(x) = 2x\sum_{n \ odd}\big [\frac 1 {2n -1} - \frac 1 {2n+1} \big ] = \frac \pi 2 x$$ And, for ##x > \frac 1 2##, we have:
$$f(x) = 2x\sum_{n \ odd}\big [\frac 1 {2n -1} - \frac 1 {2n+1} \big ] - (2x - 1) = \frac \pi 2 x + 1 - 2x$$
 
  • #13
PeroK said:
The OP's approach seems like the obvious one.

In general, for ##\frac x y## to be closest to the integer ##n## we need:
$$y \in [\frac{2x}{2n+1}, \frac{2x}{2n - 1}]$$This is a problem only when ##x \ge \frac 1 2## and ##n = 1##. In which case, we have ##y \in [\frac{2x}{3}, 1]##.

For ##x \le \frac 1 2##, we have a sum of intervals for ##y## for odd ##n##:
$$f(x) = 2x\sum_{n \ odd}\big [\frac 1 {2n -1} - \frac 1 {2n+1} \big ] = \frac \pi 2 x$$ And, for ##x > \frac 1 2##, we have:
$$f(x) = 2x\sum_{n \ odd}\big [\frac 1 {2n -1} - \frac 1 {2n+1} \big ] - (2x - 1) = \frac \pi 2 x + 1 - 2x$$
Ok, I see the principle, but I get ##\pi/2-1##, and it seems borne out by experiment.
 
  • #14
haruspex said:
Ok, I see the principle, but I get ##\pi/2-1##, and it seems borne out by experiment.
That comes out as ##0.570##, whereas I get ##0.535##.
 
  • #15
... the difference is only ##(\pi -3)/4##.
 
  • #16
PeroK said:
That comes out as ##0.570##, whereas I get ##0.535##.
My simulation also gives 0.535 consistently.
 
  • #17
FactChecker said:
My simulation also gives 0.535 consistently.
Then there is a real difference.
My simulation, just a Google sheet, generates two random numbers in (0,1) and counts if(isodd(round(max(x/y,y/x))),1,0). With 1000 samples, the average is definitely around 0.57.
 
  • #18
haruspex said:
Then there is a real difference.
My simulation, just a Google sheet, generates two random numbers in (0,1) and counts if(isodd(round(max(x/y,y/x))),1,0). With 1000 samples, the average is definitely around 0.57.
What if you replace max(x/y, y/x) with just x/y?

I simulated both ways in Mathematica. Choosing the maximum of x/y and y/x yields 0.57; without it, you get 0.535.
 
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  • #19
vela said:
What if you replace max(x/y, y/x) with just x/y?

I simulated both ways in Mathematica. Choosing the maximum of x/y and y/x yields 0.57; without it, you get 0.535.
Hmmmmm very cool.
 
  • #20
This screams Geometric Probability to me. Find the total area between: $$y=x/2$$ and $$y=3x/2$$, then between $$5x/2$$ and $$7x/2, (2n-1)/2$$ and in general $$(2n+1)/2$$, within $$[0,1]\times [0,1]$$ etc.
 
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  • #21
vela said:
What if you replace max(x/y, y/x) with just x/y?

I simulated both ways in Mathematica. Choosing the maximum of x/y and y/x yields 0.57; without it, you get 0.535.
Yes, it dawned on me after I posted that I was slightly misreading the problem.
 
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  • #22
WWGD said:
This screams Geometric Probability to me.
I did this and ended up with the same sum @joshmccraney derived. It's a nice way to look at the problem as all you need to do is calculate areas of triangles, and it sheds light on why @FactChecker's intuitive guess was wrong.
 
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  • #23
vela said:
it sheds light on why @FactChecker's intuitive guess was wrong.
I thought the function ##x/y## was too non-linear for ##0.5## to be the answer. In fact, I would have guessed more like ##2/3##, with ##n = 1## dominating. That's true, as it turns out, but ##n = 0## is also quite likely.

The probability that ##0## or ##1## is nearest to ##x/y## is ##1/4## and ##5/12## respectively. That gives the odd numbers a head's start of ##+1/6##.

The rest have a total probability of only ##1/3## between them (with more likelihood of even than odd). That closes the gap, but I don't see the symmetry that would possibly lead to equality.
 
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  • #24
WWGD said:
This screams Geometric Probability to me.

The region where y/x is closer to an odd number than an even number consists of triangles. The first two triangles have area 1/4 and 1/6. The rest have area, 1/5-1/7, 1/9-1/11, 1/13-1/15, etc.
 

FAQ: Are Two Random Numbers More Likely to Have a Quotient Closer to an Odd Integer?

1. What does it mean for the quotient to be closer to an odd integer?

When we say that the quotient is closer to an odd integer, we mean that the decimal value of the quotient is closer to the next odd integer. For example, if the quotient is 2.7, it is closer to 3 (the next odd integer) than it is to 2 (the previous odd integer).

2. How do you calculate the quotient of two random numbers in (0,1)?

To calculate the quotient of two random numbers in (0,1), we simply divide one number by the other. For example, if the two random numbers are 0.5 and 0.2, the quotient would be 0.5/0.2 = 2.5.

3. What does it mean for the quotient to be closer to an odd integer in terms of probability?

In terms of probability, the odds that the quotient is closer to an odd integer means that it is more likely for the decimal value of the quotient to be closer to the next odd integer than it is to the previous odd integer. This is because there are more odd integers than even integers, so the chances of the quotient being closer to an odd integer are higher.

4. Can the quotient be equally close to both an odd and even integer?

Yes, it is possible for the quotient to be equally close to both an odd and even integer. This would happen if the decimal value of the quotient is exactly halfway between the two integers. For example, if the quotient is 2.5, it is equally close to 2 (even integer) and 3 (odd integer).

5. Is there a formula or equation to calculate the odds of the quotient being closer to an odd integer?

Yes, there is a formula to calculate the odds of the quotient being closer to an odd integer. It is (n+1)/(2n+1), where n is the integer part of the quotient. For example, if the quotient is 2.7, n would be 2 and the odds would be (2+1)/(2*2+1) = 3/5.

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