I have a problem with the following exercise from Geoffrey G. Grimmett, David R. Stirzaker, Probability and Random Processes, Oxford University Press 2001 (page 155, ex. 6):
Let X have the binomial distribution bin(n, U), where U is uniform on (0,1). Show that X is uniformly distributed on {0,1,…,n}.
So far, what I have is this:
P(X=k | U) = {n \choose k} U^k (1-U)^{n-k}
P(X=k) = \int_0^1 {n \choose k} u^k (1-u)^{n-k} f_U(u) \text{ d}u
where f_U(u) is density function of random variable X. Of course, f_U(u) = 1 on u\in (0,1).
P(X=k) = {n \choose k} \int_0^1 u^k (1-u)^{n-k} \text{d}u
And I don't know what to do next... How to calculate this integral? Am I solving it right so far?
Answer
A way to avoid using pre-knowledge about Beta integrals (for a more conceptual explanation, see the second part of this post) is to compute the generating function of X, that is,
\mathbb E(s^X)=\sum_{k=0}^ns^k\mathbb P(X=k)=\int_0^1\sum_{k=0}^n\binom{n}ku^k(1-u)^{n-k}s^k\mathrm du.
By the binomial theorem,
\sum_{k=0}^n\binom{n}k(su)^k(1-u)^{n-k}=(1-(1-s)u)^n,
hence
\mathbb E(s^X)=\int_0^1(1-(1-s)u)^n\mathrm du\stackrel{[v=1-(1-s)u]}{=}\frac1{1-s}\int_s^1v^n\mathrm dv=\frac{1-s^{n+1}}{(n+1)(1-s)},
that is,
\mathbb E(s^X)=\frac1{n+1}\sum_{k=0}^ns^k.
This formula should make apparent the fact that X is uniform on \{0,1,2,\ldots,n\}...
...But the "real" reason why X is uniform might be the following.
First, the distribution of a sum of i.i.d. Bernoulli random variables is binomial. Second, if V is uniform on [0,1], the random variable \mathbf 1_{V\leqslant u} is Bernoulli with parameter u. Hence, if (U_i)_{1\leqslant i\leqslant n} is i.i.d. uniform on [0,1], the random variable \sum\limits_{i=1}^n\mathbf 1_{U_i\leqslant u} is binomial with parameter (n,u).
Thus, X may be realized as X=\sum\limits_{i=1}^n\mathbf 1_{U_i\leqslant U_{n+1}} where (U_i)_{1\leqslant i\leqslant n+1} is i.i.d. uniform on [0,1]. The event [X=k] occurs when U_{n+1} is the (k+1)th value in the ordered sample (U_{(i)})_{1\leqslant i\leqslant n+1}. By exchangeability of the distribution of (U_i)_{1\leqslant i\leqslant n+1}, U_{n+1} has as much chances to be at each rank from 1 to n+1. This fact means exactly that X is indeed uniform on \{0,1,2,\ldots,n\}.
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