Determination of random variables and random number generation

$\newcommand{\argmin}{\mathop{\mathrm{argmin}}\limits}$ $\newcommand{\argmax}{\mathop{\mathrm{argmax}}\limits}$
$F$ is a distribution of a random variable $X$, iff $F$ is (1) non decreasing, (2) right-continuous functions s.t. (3) $\lim\limits_{x\to -\infty}F(x) = 0$ and $\lim\limits_{x\to\infty}F(x) = 1$.

($\Rightarrow$) is trivial.
($\Leftarrow$) let $\Omega = [0, 1]$, $\mathcal{F} = \mathcal{B}\big( [0, 1] \big)$, $P=\lambda$ where $\lambda$ is a lebesgue measure. Define $X(\omega) := \sup\{y: F(y) < \omega\}$, then our claim is that X is a random variable that has $F$ as its distribution. To show the claim is true, we need to show $$P(X\leq x) = F(x) = P(\{\omega: 0\leq \omega \leq F(x)\})$$ which can be inferred by $\{\omega: X(\omega) \leq x\} = \{\omega: \omega \leq F(x)\}$, $\forall x$.

Given $x$, pick $\omega_0 \in \{\omega: \omega \leq F(x)\}$, since $F(x) \geq \omega_0$, $x \notin \{y: F(y) < \omega_0\}$. Therefore $X(\omega_0) \leq x$ and $\omega_0 \in \{\omega: X(\omega) \leq x\}$. $$\begin{equation} \therefore \: \{\omega: X(\omega) \leq x\} \supset \{\omega: \omega \leq F(x)\}, \forall x \end{equation}$$ Given $x$, pick $\omega_0 \notin \{\omega: \omega \leq F(x)\}$, then $\omega_0 > F(x)$. Since $F$ is right-continuous, $\exists\epsilon > 0$ such that $F(x) \leq F(x+\epsilon) < \omega_0$. $x+\epsilon \leq X(\omega_0)$ because $X$ is defined as $\sup$, and this gives $x < X(\omega_0)$ and thus $\omega_0 \notin \{\omega: X(\omega) \leq x\}$. $$\therefore \: \{\omega: X(\omega) \leq x\} \subset \{\omega: \omega \leq F(x)\}, \forall x$$ Hence the claim is true, and $$\begin{align} F(x) &= \lambda\big( [0, F(x)] \big) = P(\{\omega: \omega \leq F(x)\})\\ &= P(\{\omega: X(\omega) \leq x\}) = P(X \leq x) \end{align}$$


Suppose that a random variable $X$ has a continuous distibution $F$, then $Y := F(X) \sim \text{U}(0, 1)$

Probability integral transform can be proven by similar method to the one that used to prove theorem 1. The idea here is to construct a function that is an “inverse” of $F$. Since it is not sure that $F$ can have an inverse, it is safe to say that $X$ is constructed as an upper-quantile function of $F$.

The fact that we can naturally derive from here is interesting:

Suppose $U \sim \text{U}(0, 1)$. If a continuous distribution function $F$ has an inverse $F^{-1}$, then $X := F^{-1}(U) \sim F$.

So we can easily generate random numbers from continuous distribution with surjective CDF. For example, to generate random sample from exponential distribution with rate 1,

1. Generate random numbers $u_i$'s from $\text{U}(0, 1)$.
2. $y_i := -\log(1-u_i)$ are random numbers from $\text{Exp}(1)$.



Author | Sihyung Park

I am Sihyung Park (pronounced “See-He-Young”), a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University. My research focuses on causal inference, specifically addressing unmeasured confounding and principal stratification in observational studies, as well as high-dimensional methods. Grounded in my early background in ecology and genomics, I aim to bring methodological insights to problems in genomics and evolutionary biology.