My Math Forum what choice of b minimizes E(|X −b|)?

 June 26th, 2017, 09:49 AM #1 Member   Joined: Apr 2017 From: PA Posts: 45 Thanks: 0 what choice of b minimizes E(|X −b|)? The Pilsdorff Beer Company runs a fleet of trucks along the $100$ mile road from Hangtown to Dry Gulch. The trucks are old, and are apt to break down at any point along the road with equal probability. Where should the company locate a garage so as to minimize the expected distance from a typical breakdown to the garage? In other words, if $X$ is a random variable giving the location of the breakdown, measured, say, from Hangtown, and $b$ gives the location of the garage, what choice of $b$ minimizes $E(|X − b|)$? Now, suppose $X$ is not distributed uniformly over $[0, 100]$, but instead has density function $f_X(x) = \frac{2x}{10000}$. Then what choice of $b$ minimizes $E(|X − b|)$? **Attempt:** For this, I thought about taking the definite integral $$\int_{0}^{100}((2x^2)/10,000)dx,$$ and got $200/3$, but it did not seem to be leading to the right answer. Later, I was really stuck. , but it did not seem to be leading to the right answer. Later, I was really stuck.
 June 26th, 2017, 11:25 AM #2 Senior Member   Joined: Dec 2012 From: Hong Kong Posts: 853 Thanks: 311 Math Focus: Stochastic processes, statistical inference, data mining, computational linguistics \displaystyle \begin{align} E(|X - b|) &= E(X - b|X \geq b) P(X \geq b) + E(b - X|X < b) P(X < b)\\ &= [E(X|X \geq b) - b] P(X \geq b) + [b - E(X|X < b)] P(X < b)\\ &= \left[\int_{b}^{100} x \frac{2x/10000}{P(X \geq b)} \mathop{} \mathrm{d}x - b\right]P(X \geq b) + \left[b-\int_{0}^{b} x \frac{2x/10000}{P(X < b)} \mathop{} \mathrm{d}x \right]P(X  June 26th, 2017, 03:36 PM #3 Member Joined: Apr 2017 From: PA Posts: 45 Thanks: 0 Hey, I was curious, what is the formula for P(X is greater than or = to b)? June 26th, 2017, 08:59 PM #4 Senior Member Joined: Dec 2012 From: Hong Kong Posts: 853 Thanks: 311 Math Focus: Stochastic processes, statistical inference, data mining, computational linguistics Quote:  Originally Posted by poopeyey2 Hey, I was curious, what is the formula for P(X is greater than or = to b)?\displaystyle P(X \geq b) = \int_b^{100} \frac{2x}{10000} \mathop{}\mathrm{d}x$ June 27th, 2017, 05:04 PM #5 Member Joined: Apr 2017 From: PA Posts: 45 Thanks: 0 If *X is a random variable giving the location of the breakdown, measured, say, from Hangtown, and *b gives the location of the garage, what choice of *b* minimizes *E(|X−b|)? Also, for this part of the question, is a different formula needed? Last edited by skipjack; June 28th, 2017 at 09:49 AM. June 27th, 2017, 07:52 PM #6 Senior Member Joined: Dec 2012 From: Hong Kong Posts: 853 Thanks: 311 Math Focus: Stochastic processes, statistical inference, data mining, computational linguistics Quote:  Originally Posted by poopeyey2 If *X is a random variable giving the location of the breakdown, measured, say, from Hangtown, and *b gives the location of the garage, what choice of *b* minimizes *E(|X−b|)? Also, for this part of the question, is a different formula needed? You mean the first part of the question with equal probability? Just replace$\displaystyle \frac{2x}{10000}$in the formulas with$\displaystyle \frac{1}{100}\$.

Last edited by skipjack; June 28th, 2017 at 09:50 AM.

 June 28th, 2017, 10:59 AM #7 Member   Joined: Apr 2017 From: PA Posts: 45 Thanks: 0 Also is the equation to find the minimum P(X < b)-1=o? And we have to find b?
June 28th, 2017, 08:21 PM   #8
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Quote:
 Originally Posted by poopeyey2 Also is the equation to find the minimum P(X < b)-1=o? And we have to find b?
I'm not sure I understood what you meant here. Which equation are you referring to?

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