Introduction to Stochastic Processes

Lecture Notes and Videos

Main Course Page

Lecture 24 (23/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: Absorption probabilities, gambler's ruin problem


Lecture 23 (20/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: For an aperiodic positive recurrent Markov chain, stationary distribution is the limiting distribution


Lecture 22 (16/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: Limiting distribution, existence of stationary distribution and irreducibility imply positive recurrence and hence uniqueness of stationary distribution


Lecture 21 (13/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: Proof of SLLN for positive recurrent Markov chains


Lecture 20 (09/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: Positive and null recurrence are class properties, computation of expected first return time for positive recurrent Markov chains, reversibility, statements of MCT, DCT and SLLN, introduction to SLLN for positive recurrent Markov chains


Lecture 19 (06/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: Invariant measure, existence and uniqueness of stationary distribution


Lecture 18 (02/12/2021): Notes Video

Content: Recurrent classes are closed, not all states in a finite state space Markov chain can be transient, introduction to stationary distribution


Lecture 17 (29/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Transience of origin for simple random walk on Z^3, class properties, period of a state, canonical decomposition


Lecture 16 (25/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Recurrence of origin for simple random walks on Z and Z^2


Lecture 15 (22/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Characterization of transience (and recurrence) via summablility (and non-summability, resp.) of n-step transition probabilities


Lecture 14 (18/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Dissection principle (the proof is just for your knowledge), introduction to recurrence, transience, positive recurrence and null recurrence


Lecture 13 (15/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Communication classes, closed sets


Lecture 12 (11/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Chapman-Kolmogorov equation, hitting time, accessibility of states


Lecture 11 (08/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: More examples of Markov chain, N-step transition probabilities


Lecture 10 (01/11/2021): Notes Video

Content: Definition and examples of Markov chain


Lecture 09 (28/10/2021): Notes Video

Content: Introduction to Markov chains


Practice Problems 1 (based on Lectures 1 - 8)


Lecture 08 (21/10/2021): Notes Video

Content: Superposition and thinning of homogeneous Poisson processes


Lecture 07 (18/10/2021): Notes Video

Content: Order statistics property and other properties of homogeneous Poisson processes


Lecture 06 (11/10/2021): Notes Video

Content: Completion of the proof of the characterization result for homogeneous Poisson processes, another manifestation of lack of memory property


Lecture 05 (07/10/2021): Notes Video

Content: A characterization of homogeneous Poisson processes and its proof (first part)


Lecture 04 (04/10/2021): Notes Video

Content: Independence and stationarity of increments of a homogeneous Poisson process


Lecture 03 (30/09/2021): Notes Video

Content: Properties of Poisson processes - manifestation of lack of memory property of exponential distribution


Lecture 02 (27/09/2021): Notes Video

Content: Definition of Poisson process as the number of arrivals


Lecture 01 (23/09/2021): Notes Video

Content: Introduction to homogeneous Poisson processes