ELEC_ENG 422: Random Processes in Communications and Control I
Winter 2024


Lectures


Topics
Reading
Lecture 1Introduction, Probability spaces, Sigma algebras, countable and uncountable sets. Sect. 1.1-1.2
Lecture 2 Properties of Probability measures, Conditional probability, statistical independence, conditional independence, Random variables and CDF. Sect. 1.3.1-1.3.3
Lecture 3 Discrete, continuous, mixed and singular random variables, Multiple random variables, joint distributions, independence and conditioning for random variables, stochastic processes. Sect. 1.3.4 -1.4
Lecture 4 The Bernoulli process, Expected values, moments, sums of random variables. Sect. 1.4- 1.5
Lecture 5Conditional expectation, iterated expectation, Markov's inequality, Chebyshev's inequality, the coupon collector problem. Sect. 1.5-1.6
Lecture 6 More on coupon collector problem, Chernoff Bounds, Moment generating functions, Chernoff bound examples. Sect. 1.6
Lecture 7 Moment generating functions and sums of independent random variables, log-moment generating functions, Convergence of random variables, mean squared convergence, convergence in probability, the weak law of large numbers, almost sure convergence, the strong law of large numbers. Sect. 1.7 & 5.2
Lecture 8 Proof of Strong Law of Large numbers, Convergence in distribution, the central limit theorem, characteristic functions and CLT proof. Sect. 1.7, CLT notes
Lecture 9 Gaussian approximations, Counting processes, The Poisson process: memoryless property, fresh-restart property, increment properties. Sect. 2.1-2.2
Lecture 10Poisson processes: Distribution of number of arrivals, Baby Bernoulli interpretation, splitting and combining Poisson processes. Sect. 2.2-2.3.
Lecture 11 Markov property, Markov Chains: transition Matrices/Graphs, first-step analysis. Sect. 4.1, M.C. Notes
Lecture 12 Markov Chains: stationary distributions, State classifications, recurrence, null recurrence Sect. 4.1-4.2 & 6.2
Lecture 13 MID-TERM EXAM
Lecture 14Markov Chains: periodicity, ergodic chains, convergence to stationary distributions, balance equations.Sect. 4.2-4.3, 6.1-6.2
Lecture 15Gaussian random vectors: linear transformations, moment generating functions.Sect. 3.1 -3.3
Lecture 16Gaussian random vectors: joint probability distributions and properties of covariance matricesSect. 3.3 -3.4
Lecture 17 Conditioning and Gaussian random vectors; Introduction to estimation, MMSE estimation. .Sect. 3.5, Sect. 10.1 - 10.2
Lecture 18 Properties of MMSE estimators, MMSE with Gaussian random vectors, linear estimation, Intro. to Gaussian Processes. Sect. 10.2-10.3, Sect. 3.6.1
Lecture 19Stationary processes, Properties of covariance functions, Wiener processes.Sect. 3.6.1, 3.6.9


A list of lecture topics from 2023 can be found here.