% LMEx040304_4th.m % Example 4.3.4 Effects of rounding analyzed with normal approximation % Effect of rounding on the expected value and variance of rounded % estimates. P. 304 in % Larsen & Marx (2006) Introduction to Mathematical Statistics, 4th edition % Using the central limit theorem, what is the probability that the error % on 100 transactions, each rounded to the nearest $100, would exceed $500? % What is the variance of a uniformly distributed random number % over the interval -50 to 50? % From definition of Variance: % Var(Y)=E[(Y-mu)^2]= integral from -50 to 50 {(y-mu)^2 f_y(y)} dy. % mu=0; % f_y(y)=1; This is the height of the uniform pdf at each value of y. % for max(y)-min(y)=1, the value of f_y(y) is 1. % for uniform random numbers spread over different ranges, % for max(y)-min(y)*f_y(y) must equal 1. % thus, for a uniform random number distributed on the interval -100 to 100, % f_y(y)=1/200; % Written by Eugene.Gallagher@umb.edu for EEOS601 % http://www.es.umb.edu/edgwebp.htm % Written in 2001, revised 1/9/11 % The m.file goes through some applications of the symbolic math toolbox at % the beginning to verify that the variance of 100 rounded transactions is % 2500/3 format rat syms y mu int(y^2/100,-50,50)%Use the symbolic math toolbox to find the % variance % of a uniformly distributed variable on the interval % -50 to 50; it is 2500/3 VarY=eval(int(sym('y^2/100'),-50,50)) % Variance of a uniform randomly distributed number % on the interval -50 to 50 is 2500/3 % Note how the variance remains 2500/3 with a shift in mean: % Var(Y)=E(Y^2)-mu^2; mu=50; int(y^2/100,0,100) EYsq=eval(int(sym('y^2/100'),0,100)) % The previous statement produces 10,000/3 which produces an identical % variance after subtracting the square of the expected value, mu^2, as is % appropriate from the definition of variance. VARY=EYsq-mu^2 % Note that Var(Y) is also defined as % integral -inf to inf (y-mu).^2 f_y(y) dy. % We can create the definite integral of this equation and evaluate it % to produce the variance syms y, mu; mu=50; VARY2=eval(int(sym('(y-mu)^2/100'),y,0,100)) % VARY2 should also be 2500/3 format % using Theorem 3.13.12, in Larsen & Marx (2001, p. 223) % Calculate the variance of all 100 transactions (multiply the variance by % 100). Note, this is for 100 indepedently distributed random variates, % where the positive and negative errors among transactions are not % correlated. Varall=100*VARY; % If you wanted to convert the variance, calculated here in dollars to the % variance in pennies, you'd have to use Theorem 3.13.1, p. 222. It would % the variance of Varall in pennies would be a=100;Var(a*Varall)=a^2 * Varall % =10000 * Varall % calculate the standard deviation; sigmaall=sqrt(Varall); % Calculate the Z statistic Z=zeros(2,1); Z(1)=(-500-0)/sigmaall; Z(2)=(500-0)/sigmaall % Use the cumulative normal probability function to find the probability of % being more than $5 dollars off after 100 transactions: P=1-(normcdf(Z(2))-normcdf(Z(1))) fprintf('The probability of being more than $500 off after 100\n') fprintf('transactions in which each transaction is rounded to the \n') fprintf('nearest $100 is %6.4f\n',P)