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Columbia University
217
We write
aN = o[f(N)] if lim aN/f(N) = 0.
N-oo
XN = X if plim (XN - X) = 0.
N-00
i = 1 we must have lim MN(e) = 0. Let M (e) be the l.u.b. of MN(e). For
N-oo
quence of subsets of the r-dimensional vector space such that for almost all N we have
P[YN C RN(e)] > 1 - e. If the sequence of functions {fN(a) } is uniformly con-
tinuous with respect to { RN(e) } for every e > 0, then plim [fN(XN) - fN(yN)I = 0.
N-oo
d(y).
PROOF: Let GN, FN be the d.f.'s of XN, YN resp. For any 5 > 0 we have
P( XN - NI> 5).
Hence since P(YN < a) = FN(a), P(XN < a) = GN(a), lim P (XN -YN I > 5) =
N-Xo
O we have lim. sup. FN(a + () > lim. sup. GN(a) > lim. inf. GN(a) t lim. inf.
FN(a - 5).
If a + 5 and a - 5 are continuity points of F we have
F(a + () > lim. sup. GN(a) > lim. inf. GN(a) 2 F(a -) .
For any So > 0 there exists a positive a < So such that a - a and a + a are
continuity points of F. Hence we can choose a arbitrarily small and if a is a
continuity point of F we must have
XN and YN respectively. Let RN(e) be the set of points a for which [ FN(a) -
> e. Let MN(e) be the Lebesgue measure of this set. Then lim MN(e) = 0
N-oo
P(XN < a) > P(XN < a; YN < a + () > P(XN < a) - P XN YN I > 8),
so that P( I XN - YN I ? 8N)
that except for a set of measure at most 6 AN/( we have FN(a + 26N) - FN(a) <
e/3. Similarly the set of points for which gN(a + AN) - gN(a) > E/3 has at most
the Lebesgue measure 3 SN/E. Hence, except in a set of points whose measure
is at most 9 AN/E, we have
tions of XN, yNrespectively. Furthermore, let RN(E) be the set of points inside an
r-dimensional cube where I FN- GN I > E and let MN(E) be the Lebesgue measure
of RN(e), then lim MN(f) = 0.
N--oo
We prove first
LEMMA 2a. Let 8 = ( 82 62 , * ) > 0 and max. 8' = d. Let I be the cube
defined by (-A < xi < A, i- 1, 2, * * r). Let furthermore f be a d.f. Then
the Lebesgue measure of the points a in I for which f(a + 8) - f(a) > e is at most
dr2 Ar-/E.
PROOF: Let fi(xl), f2(x2), * fr(x7) be the marginal distributions of x1, x2, ...
xr respectively. It follows from Lemma 2 that the linear Lebesgue measure of
those numbers at for which fi(at + ) - fi(at) > e/r is smaller than rd/e. We
form the set (xi = a' & x C I) for every such at and for i = 1, 2, ... r. The
Lebesgue measure of the sum R(E) of all these sets is at most r2dA?1/E. We
shall show that R(e) contains all points a inside I for which f(a +'5) - f(a) > e.
We have
Ai > e/r.
But Ai is the probability of a subset of the set T = (a' < x' < a' + 5') and
fi(a' + 8') - fi(a') is the probability of T itself. Hence
J dF for every I covering R. The g.l.b. of all such M(I) is called the exterior
Jordan measure M(R) of R. If M(R) = M(R) then M(R) is called the Jordan
measure of R.
LEMMA 3. Let FN(x) be a sequence of d.f.'s such that lim FN(x) = F(x) in every
N-0o
continuity point of F(x). Let h(x) be a bounded function such that the discontinuity
points of h(x) have the Jordan measure 0 with respect to F and such that f h(x) dFN
,* +00 ,* +Go. +X
We first determine a closed finite interval I such that L dF(x) > 1 - and
discontinuity points of h, f dF(x) < and such that the boundary of I' does
O#R ZZR
+ L h(x) dFN(x) h(x) dF(x)
The discontinuities of h are contained in the set M of all points where g(x) = a
and is continuous or where g(x) is discontinuous. The set R of discontinuity
points of g(x) is closed and of measure 0 with respect to F. We can therefore
subtract from M a sum R* of a finite number of open intervals of arbitrarily
small measure with respect to F which contains all discontinuity points of g(x).
This difference set M' is closed and contains only points where g(x) = a and
Since g(x) is Borel measurable, f h(x) dFN(x) = FN,(a) and f h(x) dF(x)
= F,(a) exist for every a. Hence by Lemma 3 lim FN,(a) = F,(a) in every
N-*OO
d oo (YN) = d(y) and if f is continuous except in a set R for which lim P(YN C R)
N-.
= 0 then plimf(xN) - f(YN) = 0.
PROOF: Let I be a closed interval such that P(YN C I) > 1 - e/2. Let I' be
a sum of open intervals containing all discontinuity points of f(x) in I and such
that P(yAN C I') < e/2 for sufficiently large N. The set J of points of I which
are not points of I' is a closed set. Hence f is uniformly continuous in J and
P(YN C J) > 1 - e for sufficiently large N. In Theorem 2 we put RN(E)-J,
fN = f. Then all conditions of Theorem 2 are satisfied and it follows that plim
N-oo
[ff(N) - f(Yv)] = 0.
If, moreover, the set of discontinuity points of f is closed then by Theorems
3 and 5 doo [f(XN)] = d oo [f(YN)] = d[f(y)].
Special cases of Corollary 2 have been proved by J. L. Doob and WV. G.
Madow (2).
Theorem 5 is very useful in deriving limit distributions.
It follows for instance from Theorem 5 that if d so (XN) = d(x), d oo (YN) -
d(y), where x, y are independently and normally distributed with mean 0 and
equal variances, then d oo (XN/YN) = d(x/y). That is to say the distribution of
XN/yN converges to a Cauchy distribution.
It also follows from Theorem 5 that under very general conditions the limit
distribution of t = VN(V - p)/s is normal. (x = sample mean, u = population
mean, 52 = sample variance.) For we have under very general conditions d so
V/N(x - ) =-d(t), plim s = a, where t is normally distributed with vari-
ance a .
Applying Theorem 5 it can also easily be shown that under very general
conditions the limit distribution of T2 is a chi-square distribution if the means
of all variates are 0. Hotelling's 72 (the generalized Student ratio) for a
p-variate distribution is defined as follows:
where the ' are normally and independently distributed with variance 1.
Hence the distribution of T2 converges to a chi-square distribution with p degrees
of freedom.
If the samples are drawn from a sequence of populations 17N) all with the
same covariance matrix and such that lim VIN/iN = i where /LiN iS the mean
N-
then
Since the jth derivatives are continuous except in a set of limit measure 0
we can determine a closed set R(e) on which they are uniformly continuous and
so that P(YN C R(e)) > 1 - e for sufficiently large N. Then for every sequence
with aN- bN = O(f(Nl)), bN C R(e) we have
g(aN) - g(bN) - T,(aN, bN) = o[f(N)l .
Hence Corollary 3 follows from Theorem 1.
Corollary 3 was first proved by W. G. Madow [2] and J. L. Doob [1] for the
important case that YN is a constant.
The following example will illustrate Corollary 3. Let x, y be normally and
independently distributed random variables with mean 0 and variance 1; ZNV},
{ZN sequences of random variables with plim \/N ZN = plim T/N z = 1.
N-*oo N-+,w
Let XN = X + ZN, YN = Y + Z
Y3/3 + 2x - 2y + 5. Applying C
g(x, y) = [41/V\N], ZN = O(1
Corollary 3 for j = 1 we have
This is equivalent to
Hence the distribution of /VN(9(XN, YN) - 9(x, y)) converges to the chi-square
distribution with 2 degrees of freedom.
If plim XN = a and I ON is a sequence of numbers with limr N = 0 such that
N-oo N-0oo
d o [(XN- aI)/O
if g admits cont
REFERENCES
[1] J. L. DOOB, "The limiting distribution of certain statistics." Annals of Math. Stat., Vol.
6 (1935).
[2] W. G. MADOW, "Limiting /distribution of quadratic and bilinear forms." Annals of
Math. Stat., Vol. 11 (1940).