The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Uniform Bounds on the Relative Error in the Approximation of Upper Quantiles for Sums of Arbitrary Independent Random Variables

Author

Summary, in English

Fix any n≥1. Let X~1,…,X~n be independent random variables. For each 1≤j≤n, X~j is transformed in a canonical manner into a random variable Xj. The Xj inherit independence from the X~j. Let sy and s∗y denote the upper 1y th −−− quantile of Sn=∑nj=1Xj and S∗n=sup1≤k≤nSk, respectively. We construct a computable quantity Q−−y based on the marginal distributions of X1,…,Xn to produce upper and lower bounds for sy and s∗y. We prove that for y≥8

6−1γ3y/16Q−−3y/16≤s∗y≤Q−−y

where

γy=12wy+1

and wy is the unique solution of

(wyeln(yy−2))wy=2y−4

for wy>ln(yy−2), and for y≥37

19γu(y)Q−−u(y)<sy≤Q−−y

where

u(y)=3y32(1+1−643y−−−−−−√).

The distribution of Sn is approximately centered around zero in that P(Sn≥0)≥118 and P(Sn≤0)≥165. The results extend to n=∞ if and only if for some (hence all) a>0

∑j=1∞E{(X~j−mj)2∧a2}<∞.

Publishing year

2015

Language

English

Pages

1-25

Publication/Series

Journal of Theoretical Probability

Volume

28

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Probability Theory and Statistics

Keywords

  • quantile approximation
  • tail probabilities
  • Sum of independent random variables
  • tail distributions
  • Hofmann-J/orgensen/Klass- Nowicki Inequality

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1572-9230