What is the expected value of a particle's position after n jumps?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a particle that starts at the origin and makes a series of jumps along a line, with specified probabilities for jumping left or right. The objective is to determine the expected value of the particle's position after a certain number of jumps.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are discussing the distribution of the particle's positions after multiple jumps and questioning how these outcomes are characterized given the probabilities involved.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants expressing uncertainty about the distribution of outcomes and seeking clarification on relevant concepts. Some have raised questions about the nature of the distributions applicable to the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants have noted the constraints of the problem, including the probabilities assigned to each jump direction and the number of trials involved. There is a lack of consensus on the specific distributions that may apply.

uva123
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Homework Statement



Suppose that a particle starts at the origin of the real line and moves along the line in
jumps of one unit. For each jump, the probability is p that the particle will jump one unit to the left and the probability is (1-p) that the particle will jump one unit to the right.
Find the expected value of the position of the particle after n jumps.


Homework Equations



E(x)=[tex]\sumf(x)xdx[/tex] from -infinity to +infinity (continuous case)
E(x)=[tex]\sumf(x)x[/tex] for all x (discrete case)

The Attempt at a Solution



p(0<p<1) =>jumps one unit left
q=(1-p) =>jumps one unit right
 
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Well seeing how there are only two outcomes with n trials, how are the positions of the particle distributed?
 
im really not sure.
 
uva123 said:
im really not sure.

Which distributions do you know?
 

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