November 2012
Intermediate to advanced
794 pages
22h 9m
English
F.4 CHERNOFF'S INEQUALITY
Theorem F.9 (Chernoff's inequality). For random variable X and every
:
(F.26)
where
is the moment generating function of X and
.
Proof. From the definition of the moment generating function:
(F.27)
The first inequality is obtained because
, and the second inequality follows because the smallest value
has replaced exp(tx) in the integrand. Rearranging the final expression completes the proof.
Since Chernoff's bound must hold for all
, the tightest bound is
(F.28)
which depends on δ and the parameters of the specific moment generating function.
Example F.2. Consider ...
Read now
Unlock full access