Skip to main content
Corrected typos
Source Link
J W
  • 5k
  • 2
  • 23
  • 47

There is no correct here. While it is common to use capital letters for random variables and the corresponding lowercase letters for the values they assume, this convention is not a strong one and often inis not followed with regards to simple discrete random variabelsvariables. It is also common to write the sample space for two coin tosses as $\{HH, HT, TH, TT\}$. For example, in the first chapter of the excellent undegraduateundergraduate textbook by Grimmett and Stirzaker, the samplessample space for a single coin toss is written $\{H, T\}$.

When one writes such a simple sample space explicitly in the classroom, normally one has not yet begun to speak of random variables and so conventions regarding random variables are largely irrelevant. In the particular case of coin tosses the use of uppercase letters is also common because of readability issues on the blackboard that usually are more serious when writing lowercase letters - in particular $h$ sometimes can be confused with $n$ and $t$ often can be confused with $+$ if the teacher does not have particularly nice handwriting.

There is no correct here. While it is common to use capital letters for random variables and the corresponding lowercase letters for the values they assume, this convention is not a strong one and often in not followed with regards to simple discrete random variabels. It is also common to write the sample space for two coin tosses as $\{HH, HT, TH, TT\}$. For example, in the first chapter of the excellent undegraduate textbook by Grimmett and Stirzaker, the samples space for a single coin toss is written $\{H, T\}$.

When one writes such a simple sample space explicitly in the classroom, normally one has not yet begun to speak of random variables and so conventions regarding random variables are largely irrelevant. In the particular case of coin tosses the use of uppercase letters is also common because of readability issues on the blackboard that usually are more serious when writing lowercase letters - in particular $h$ sometimes can be confused with $n$ and $t$ often can be confused with $+$ if the teacher does not have particularly nice handwriting.

There is no correct here. While it is common to use capital letters for random variables and the corresponding lowercase letters for the values they assume, this convention is not a strong one and often is not followed with regards to simple discrete random variables. It is also common to write the sample space for two coin tosses as $\{HH, HT, TH, TT\}$. For example, in the first chapter of the excellent undergraduate textbook by Grimmett and Stirzaker, the sample space for a single coin toss is written $\{H, T\}$.

When one writes such a simple sample space explicitly in the classroom, normally one has not yet begun to speak of random variables and so conventions regarding random variables are largely irrelevant. In the particular case of coin tosses the use of uppercase letters is also common because of readability issues on the blackboard that usually are more serious when writing lowercase letters - in particular $h$ sometimes can be confused with $n$ and $t$ often can be confused with $+$ if the teacher does not have particularly nice handwriting.

Source Link
Dan Fox
  • 5.9k
  • 19
  • 32

There is no correct here. While it is common to use capital letters for random variables and the corresponding lowercase letters for the values they assume, this convention is not a strong one and often in not followed with regards to simple discrete random variabels. It is also common to write the sample space for two coin tosses as $\{HH, HT, TH, TT\}$. For example, in the first chapter of the excellent undegraduate textbook by Grimmett and Stirzaker, the samples space for a single coin toss is written $\{H, T\}$.

When one writes such a simple sample space explicitly in the classroom, normally one has not yet begun to speak of random variables and so conventions regarding random variables are largely irrelevant. In the particular case of coin tosses the use of uppercase letters is also common because of readability issues on the blackboard that usually are more serious when writing lowercase letters - in particular $h$ sometimes can be confused with $n$ and $t$ often can be confused with $+$ if the teacher does not have particularly nice handwriting.