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It is very important to note that we required that the function be nonnegative on for the theorem to work. We consider only the case where the function has finitely many discontinuities inside
Consider the function over the region
Notice that the function is nonnegative and continuous at all points on except Use Fubini’s theorem to evaluate the improper integral.
First we plot the region ( [link] ); then we express it in another way.
The other way to express the same region is
Thus we can use Fubini’s theorem for improper integrals and evaluate the integral as
Therefore, we have
As mentioned before, we also have an improper integral if the region of integration is unbounded. Suppose now that the function is continuous in an unbounded rectangle
If is an unbounded rectangle such as then when the limit exists, we have
The following example shows how this theorem can be used in certain cases of improper integrals.
Evaluate the integral where is the first quadrant of the plane.
The region is the first quadrant of the plane, which is unbounded. So
Thus, is convergent and the value is
In some situations in probability theory, we can gain insight into a problem when we are able to use double integrals over general regions. Before we go over an example with a double integral, we need to set a few definitions and become familiar with some important properties.
Consider a pair of continuous random variables and such as the birthdays of two people or the number of sunny and rainy days in a month. The joint density function of and satisfies the probability that lies in a certain region
Since the probabilities can never be negative and must lie between and the joint density function satisfies the following inequality and equation:
The variables and are said to be independent random variables if their joint density function is the product of their individual density functions:
At Sydney’s Restaurant, customers must wait an average of minutes for a table. From the time they are seated until they have finished their meal requires an additional minutes, on average. What is the probability that a customer spends less than an hour and a half at the diner, assuming that waiting for a table and completing the meal are independent events?
Waiting times are mathematically modeled by exponential density functions, with being the average waiting time, as
If and are random variables for ‘waiting for a table’ and ‘completing the meal,’ then the probability density functions are, respectively,
Clearly, the events are independent and hence the joint density function is the product of the individual functions
We want to find the probability that the combined time is less than minutes. In terms of geometry, it means that the region is in the first quadrant bounded by the line ( [link] ).
Hence, the probability that is in the region is
Since is the same as we have a region of Type I, so
Thus, there is an chance that a customer spends less than an hour and a half at the restaurant.
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