DOCSLIB.ORG

Computation of High-Dimensional Multivariate Normal and Student-T Probabilities Based on Matrix Compression Schemes

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Computation of High-Dimensional Multivariate Normal and Student-T Probabilities Based on Matrix Compression Schemes Computation of High-Dimensional Multivariate Normal and Student-t Probabilities Based on Matrix Compression Schemes Dissertation by Jian Cao In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia April, 2020 2 EXAMINATION COMMITTEE PAGE The dissertation of Jian Cao is approved by the examination committee: Committee Chairperson: Marc G. Genton Committee Members: Marc G. Genton, David E. Keyes, H˚avard Rue, Victor Panare- tos 3 ©April, 2020 Jian Cao All Rights Reserved 4 ABSTRACT Computation of High-Dimensional Multivariate Normal and Student-t Probabilities Based on Matrix Compression Schemes Jian Cao The first half of the thesis focuses on the computation of high-dimensional mul- tivariate normal (MVN) and multivariate Student-t (MVT) probabilities. Chapter 2 generalizes the bivariate conditioning method to a d-dimensional conditioning method and combines it with a hierarchical representation of the n × n covariance matrix. The resulting two-level hierarchical-block conditioning method requires Monte Carlo simulations to be performed only in d dimensions, with d ≪ n, and allows the dom- inant complexity term of the algorithm to be O(n log n). Chapter 3 improves the block reordering scheme from Chapter 2 and integrates it into the Quasi-Monte Carlo simulation under the tile-low-rank representation of the covariance matrix. Simula- tions up to dimension 65;536 suggest that this method can improve the run time by one order of magnitude compared with the hierarchical Monte Carlo method. The second half of the thesis discusses a novel matrix compression scheme with Kronecker products, an R package that implements the methods described in Chapter 3, and an application study with the probit Gaussian random field. Chapter 4 studies the potential of using the sum of Kronecker products (SKP) as a compressed covariance matrix representation. Experiments show that this new SKP representation can save the memory footprint by one order of magnitude compared with the hierarchical rep- resentation for covariance matrices from large grids and the Cholesky factorization in one million dimensions can be achieved within 600 seconds. In Chapter 5, an R package is introduced that implements the methods in Chapter 3 and show how the 5 package improves the accuracy of the computed excursion sets. Chapter 6 derives the posterior properties of the probit Gaussian random field, based on which model selection and posterior prediction are performed. With the tlrmvnmvt package, the computation becomes feasible in tens of thousands of dimensions, where the predic- tion errors are significantly reduced. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Prof. Marc G. Genton, who has kept me on track on the lengthy path towards a Ph.D. with his patience and guidance. Besides my advisor, I would like to thank my collaborators, Prof. David Keyes, Prof. George Turkiyyah, and Prof. Daniele Durante for their inspiring ideas, critical comments, and academic writing suggestions. I would like to say thank you to the rest of my thesis committee: Prof. H˚avard Rue and Prof. Victor Panaretos, for their insightful comments and encouragement. I would like to thank my colleagues and the friends I met at KAUST for filling my four years' Ph.D. life with warmth and joy. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for being 24/7 at the phone whatever difficulty I encountered on a different longitude. The march to this milestone would not have been feasible without you all. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Examination Committee Page 2 Copyright 3 Abstract 4 Acknowledgements 6 List of Symbols 10 List of Figures 17 List of Tables 21 1 Introduction 26 1.1 Research motivations ........................... 26 1.2 Contributions and outline of the thesis ................. 29 2 Hierarchical-Block Conditioning Approximations for High-Dimensional Multivariate Normal Probabilities 32 2.1 Chapter overview ............................. 32 2.2 Building hierarchical representations .................. 33 2.2.1 Generating a hierarchical covariance matrix .......... 33 2.2.2 Hierarchical Cholesky factorization ............... 35 2.3 d-dimensional conditioning approximation ............... 37 2.3.1 d-dimensional LDL decomposition ................ 37 2.3.2 d-dimensional truncated expectations .............. 39 2.3.3 The d-dimensional conditioning algorithm ........... 41 2.3.4 Reordered d-dimensional conditioning .............. 43 2.4 The hierarchical-block conditioning method .............. 44 2.4.1 The hierarchical-block conditioning algorithm ......... 45 2.4.2 Simulation with a constant covariance matrix ......... 46 2.4.3 Simulation with 1D exponential covariance matrix ....... 49 8 2.4.4 Simulation with a 2D exponential covariance matrix ...... 51 2.5 Block reordering .............................. 53 2.6 Discussion ................................. 56 2.7 Chapter summary ............................. 59 3 Computing High-Dimensional Normal and Student-t Probabilities with Tile-Low-Rank Quasi-Monte Carlo and Block Reordering 61 3.1 Chapter overview ............................. 61 3.2 SOV for MVN and MVT probabilities ................. 63 3.2.1 SOV for MVN integrations .................... 63 3.2.2 SOV for MVT integrations .................... 65 3.3 Low-rank representation and reordering for MVN and MVT probabilities 67 3.3.1 Section overview ......................... 67 3.3.2 TLR as a practical representation for MVN and MVT ..... 70 3.3.3 Reordering schemes and TLR factorizations .......... 73 3.3.4 Preconditioned TLR Quasi-Monte Carlo algorithms ...... 74 3.4 Numerical simulations .......................... 76 3.5 Application to stochastic generators ................... 79 3.5.1 A skew-normal stochastic generator ............... 79 3.5.2 Estimation with simulated data ................. 82 3.5.3 Estimation with wind data from Saudi Arabia ......... 85 3.6 Chapter summary ............................. 87 4 Sum of Kronecker Products Representation and Its Cholesky Fac- torization for Spatial Covariance Matrices from Large Grids 89 4.1 Notations and relevant literature .................... 89 4.2 Nearest sum of Kronecker products ................... 91 4.2.1 SVD framework .......................... 91 4.2.2 ACA framework .......................... 92 4.3 Quasi-optimal sum of Kronecker products ............... 94 4.3.1 Indexing and partitioning .................... 95 4.3.2 Storage costs comparison ..................... 98 4.3.3 On perturbed grids ........................ 99 4.4 Cholesky factorization under SKP .................... 101 4.4.1 Basic ideas and notations .................... 101 4.4.2 Algorithm and complexity .................... 105 4.4.3 Numerical results under expanding domain ........... 108 9 4.4.4 Correction mechanism for a fixed domain ............ 110 4.5 Simulation of large Gaussian random fields ............... 111 4.6 Chapter summary ............................. 114 5 The tlrmvnmvt R Package 116 5.1 R and R packages for MVN/MVT probabilities ............ 116 5.2 Package functions ............................. 117 5.2.1 Function interfaces ........................ 118 5.2.2 Computation with dense matrices ................ 122 5.2.3 Computation with TLR matrices ................ 125 5.3 Performance comparison ......................... 129 5.4 Application in finding excursion sets .................. 136 5.5 Chapter summary ............................. 141 6 Computation of High-dimensional Probit Gaussian Random Field for Binary Classification 143 6.1 Chapter overview ............................. 143 6.2 Properties ................................. 144 6.3 MVN probabilities and truncated distributions ............. 150 6.4 Monte Carlo simulations ......................... 153 6.5 Chapter summary ............................. 156 7 Concluding Remarks 159 References 162 10 LIST OF SYMBOLS n the problem size/dimension m m ≤ n, the diagonal block size in the hierarchical representation and the block/tile size in the tile- low-rank representation d d ≤ m, the second conditioning dimension r equal to n=m, the number of diagonal blocks in the hierarchical representation s in Chapter 2, it is equal to m=d, denoting the num- ber of diagonal blocks in the D factor of the LDL decomposition. In Chapter 3, it is an integration variable a; b a; b 2 Rn, the lower and the upper integration lim- its µ µ 2 Rn, the mean parameter Σ Σ 2 Rn×n, the covariance matrix Φn(a; b; µ; Σ) an n-dimensional multivariate normal probability with the lower integration limits a, the upper inte- gration limits b, the mean parameter µ, and the co- variance matrix Σ. µ is occasionally omitted when it is zero. a is occasionally omitted when it is −1 ϕn(x; µ; Σ) the n-dimensional multivariate normal probability density at x with the mean parameter µ, and the covariance matrix Σ. µ is occasionally omitted when it is zero L the lower Cholesky factor or the L factor in the LDL decomposition D in Chapter 2, it is the D factor in the LDL de- composition. In Chapter 4, it is the inverse of the lower Cholesky factor L. In Chapter 6, it is equal to diag(2y − 1) 11 x in Chapters 2 and 3, x 2 Rn is the vector of in- tegration variables. In Chapter 4, xi is the first coordinate of si. In Chapter 5, x is the realization of X(·) at a set of spatial locations. In Chapter 6, x is the predictor vector y in Chapters 2 and 3, y = Lx is the vector of trans- formed integration variables. In Chapter 5, y is a segment
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Kalman and Particle Filtering
    Abstract: The Kalman and Particle filters are algorithms that recursively update an estimate of the state and find the innovations driving a stochastic process given a sequence of observations. The Kalman filter accomplishes this goal by linear projections, while the Particle filter does so by a sequential Monte Carlo method. With the state estimates, we can forecast and smooth the stochastic process. With the innovations, we can estimate the parameters of the model. The article discusses how to set a dynamic model in a state-space form, derives the Kalman and Particle filters, and explains how to use them for estimation. Kalman and Particle Filtering The Kalman and Particle filters are algorithms that recursively update an estimate of the state and find the innovations driving a stochastic process given a sequence of observations. The Kalman filter accomplishes this goal by linear projections, while the Particle filter does so by a sequential Monte Carlo method. Since both filters start with a state-space representation of the stochastic processes of interest, section 1 presents the state-space form of a dynamic model. Then, section 2 intro- duces the Kalman filter and section 3 develops the Particle filter. For extended expositions of this material, see Doucet, de Freitas, and Gordon (2001), Durbin and Koopman (2001), and Ljungqvist and Sargent (2004). 1. The state-space representation of a dynamic model A large class of dynamic models can be represented by a state-space form: Xt+1 = ϕ (Xt,Wt+1; γ) (1) Yt = g (Xt,Vt; γ) . (2) This representation handles a stochastic process by finding three objects: a vector that l describes the position of the system (a state, Xt X R ) and two functions, one mapping ∈ ⊂ 1 the state today into the state tomorrow (the transition equation, (1)) and one mapping the state into observables, Yt (the measurement equation, (2)).
    [Show full text]
  • A Fourier-Wavelet Monte Carlo Method for Fractal Random Fields
    JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS 132, 384±408 (1997) ARTICLE NO. CP965647 A Fourier±Wavelet Monte Carlo Method for Fractal Random Fields Frank W. Elliott Jr., David J. Horntrop, and Andrew J. Majda Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, 251 Mercer Street, New York, New York 10012 Received August 2, 1996; revised December 23, 1996 2 2H k[v(x) 2 v(y)] l 5 CHux 2 yu , (1.1) A new hierarchical method for the Monte Carlo simulation of random ®elds called the Fourier±wavelet method is developed and where 0 , H , 1 is the Hurst exponent and k?l denotes applied to isotropic Gaussian random ®elds with power law spectral the expected value. density functions. This technique is based upon the orthogonal Here we develop a new Monte Carlo method based upon decomposition of the Fourier stochastic integral representation of the ®eld using wavelets. The Meyer wavelet is used here because a wavelet expansion of the Fourier space representation of its rapid decay properties allow for a very compact representation the fractal random ®elds in (1.1). This method is capable of the ®eld. The Fourier±wavelet method is shown to be straightfor- of generating a velocity ®eld with the Kolmogoroff spec- ward to implement, given the nature of the necessary precomputa- trum (H 5 Ad in (1.1)) over many (10 to 15) decades of tions and the run-time calculations, and yields comparable results scaling behavior comparable to the physical space multi- with scaling behavior over as many decades as the physical space multiwavelet methods developed recently by two of the authors.
    [Show full text]
  • Fourier, Wavelet and Monte Carlo Methods in Computational Finance
    Fourier, Wavelet and Monte Carlo Methods in Computational Finance Kees Oosterlee1;2 1CWI, Amsterdam 2Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands AANMPDE-9-16, 7/7/2016 Kees Oosterlee (CWI, TU Delft) Comp. Finance AANMPDE-9-16 1 / 51 Joint work with Fang Fang, Marjon Ruijter, Luis Ortiz, Shashi Jain, Alvaro Leitao, Fei Cong, Qian Feng Agenda Derivatives pricing, Feynman-Kac Theorem Fourier methods Basics of COS method; Basics of SWIFT method; Options with early-exercise features COS method for Bermudan options Monte Carlo method BSDEs, BCOS method (very briefly) Kees Oosterlee (CWI, TU Delft) Comp. Finance AANMPDE-9-16 1 / 51 Agenda Derivatives pricing, Feynman-Kac Theorem Fourier methods Basics of COS method; Basics of SWIFT method; Options with early-exercise features COS method for Bermudan options Monte Carlo method BSDEs, BCOS method (very briefly) Joint work with Fang Fang, Marjon Ruijter, Luis Ortiz, Shashi Jain, Alvaro Leitao, Fei Cong, Qian Feng Kees Oosterlee (CWI, TU Delft) Comp. Finance AANMPDE-9-16 1 / 51 Feynman-Kac theorem: Z T v(t; x) = E g(s; Xs )ds + h(XT ) ; t where Xs is the solution to the FSDE dXs = µ(Xs )ds + σ(Xs )d!s ; Xt = x: Feynman-Kac Theorem The linear partial differential equation: @v(t; x) + Lv(t; x) + g(t; x) = 0; v(T ; x) = h(x); @t with operator 1 Lv(t; x) = µ(x)Dv(t; x) + σ2(x)D2v(t; x): 2 Kees Oosterlee (CWI, TU Delft) Comp. Finance AANMPDE-9-16 2 / 51 Feynman-Kac Theorem The linear partial differential equation: @v(t; x) + Lv(t; x) + g(t; x) = 0; v(T ; x) = h(x); @t with operator 1 Lv(t; x) = µ(x)Dv(t; x) + σ2(x)D2v(t; x): 2 Feynman-Kac theorem: Z T v(t; x) = E g(s; Xs )ds + h(XT ) ; t where Xs is the solution to the FSDE dXs = µ(Xs )ds + σ(Xs )d!s ; Xt = x: Kees Oosterlee (CWI, TU Delft) Comp.
    [Show full text]
  • Efficient Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Failure Probabilities
    Reliability Engineering and System Safety 165 (2017) 376–394 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Reliability Engineering and System Safety journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ress ffi E cient Monte Carlo methods for estimating failure probabilities MARK ⁎ Andres Albana, Hardik A. Darjia,b, Atsuki Imamurac, Marvin K. Nakayamac, a Mathematical Sciences Dept., New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA b Mechanical Engineering Dept., New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA c Computer Science Dept., New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: We develop efficient Monte Carlo methods for estimating the failure probability of a system. An example of the Probabilistic safety assessment problem comes from an approach for probabilistic safety assessment of nuclear power plants known as risk- Risk analysis informed safety-margin characterization, but it also arises in other contexts, e.g., structural reliability, Structural reliability catastrophe modeling, and finance. We estimate the failure probability using different combinations of Uncertainty simulation methodologies, including stratified sampling (SS), (replicated) Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), Monte Carlo and conditional Monte Carlo (CMC). We prove theorems establishing that the combination SS+LHS (resp., SS Variance reduction Confidence intervals +CMC+LHS) has smaller asymptotic variance than SS (resp., SS+LHS). We also devise asymptotically valid (as Nuclear regulation the overall sample size grows large) upper confidence bounds for the failure probability for the methods Risk-informed safety-margin characterization considered. The confidence bounds may be employed to perform an asymptotically valid probabilistic safety assessment. We present numerical results demonstrating that the combination SS+CMC+LHS can result in substantial variance reductions compared to stratified sampling alone.
    [Show full text]
  • Basic Statistics and Monte-Carlo Method -2
    Applied Statistical Mechanics Lecture Note - 10 Basic Statistics and Monte-Carlo Method -2 고려대학교 화공생명공학과 강정원 Table of Contents 1. General Monte Carlo Method 2. Variance Reduction Techniques 3. Metropolis Monte Carlo Simulation 1.1 Introduction Monte Carlo Method Any method that uses random numbers Random sampling the population Application • Science and engineering • Management and finance For given subject, various techniques and error analysis will be presented Subject : evaluation of definite integral b I = ρ(x)dx a 1.1 Introduction Monte Carlo method can be used to compute integral of any dimension d (d-fold integrals) Error comparison of d-fold integrals Simpson’s rule,… E ∝ N −1/ d − Monte Carlo method E ∝ N 1/ 2 purely statistical, not rely on the dimension ! Monte Carlo method WINS, when d >> 3 1.2 Hit-or-Miss Method Evaluation of a definite integral b I = ρ(x)dx a h X X X ≥ ρ X h (x) for any x X Probability that a random point reside inside X O the area O O I N' O O r = ≈ O O (b − a)h N a b N : Total number of points N’ : points that reside inside the region N' I ≈ (b − a)h N 1.2 Hit-or-Miss Method Start Set N : large integer N’ = 0 h X X X X X Choose a point x in [a,b] = − + X Loop x (b a)u1 a O N times O O y = hu O O Choose a point y in [0,h] 2 O O a b if [x,y] reside inside then N’ = N’+1 I = (b-a) h (N’/N) End 1.2 Hit-or-Miss Method Error Analysis of the Hit-or-Miss Method It is important to know how accurate the result of simulations are The rule of 3σ’s Identifying Random Variable N = 1 X X n N n=1 From
    [Show full text]
  • A Tutorial on Quantile Estimation Via Monte Carlo
    A Tutorial on Quantile Estimation via Monte Carlo Hui Dong and Marvin K. Nakayama Abstract Quantiles are frequently used to assess risk in a wide spectrum of applica- tion areas, such as finance, nuclear engineering, and service industries. This tutorial discusses Monte Carlo simulation methods for estimating a quantile, also known as a percentile or value-at-risk, where p of a distribution’s mass lies below its p-quantile. We describe a general approach that is often followed to construct quantile estimators, and show how it applies when employing naive Monte Carlo or variance-reduction techniques. We review some large-sample properties of quantile estimators. We also describe procedures for building a confidence interval for a quantile, which provides a measure of the sampling error. 1 Introduction Numerous application settings have adopted quantiles as a way of measuring risk. For a fixed constant 0 < p < 1, the p-quantile of a continuous random variable is a constant x such that p of the distribution’s mass lies below x. For example, the median is the 0:5-quantile. In finance, a quantile is called a value-at-risk, and risk managers commonly employ p-quantiles for p ≈ 1 (e.g., p = 0:99 or p = 0:999) to help determine capital levels needed to be able to cover future large losses with high probability; e.g., see [33]. Nuclear engineers use 0:95-quantiles in probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs) of nuclear power plants. PSAs are often performed with Monte Carlo, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) further requires that a PSA accounts for the Hui Dong Amazon.com Corporate LLC∗, Seattle, WA 98109, USA e-mail: [email protected] ∗This work is not related to Amazon, regardless of the affiliation.
    [Show full text]
  • Two-Dimensional Monte Carlo Filter for a Non-Gaussian Environment
    electronics Article Two-Dimensional Monte Carlo Filter for a Non-Gaussian Environment Xingzi Qiang 1 , Rui Xue 1,* and Yanbo Zhu 2 1 School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; [email protected] 2 Aviation Data Communication Corporation, Beijing 100191, China; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: In a non-Gaussian environment, the accuracy of a Kalman filter might be reduced. In this paper, a two- dimensional Monte Carlo Filter is proposed to overcome the challenge of the non-Gaussian environment for filtering. The two-dimensional Monte Carlo (TMC) method is first proposed to improve the efficacy of the sampling. Then, the TMC filter (TMCF) algorithm is proposed to solve the non-Gaussian filter problem based on the TMC. In the TMCF, particles are deployed in the confidence interval uniformly in terms of the sampling interval, and their weights are calculated based on Bayesian inference. Then, the posterior distribution is described more accurately with less particles and their weights. Different from the PF, the TMCF completes the transfer of the distribution using a series of calculations of weights and uses particles to occupy the state space in the confidence interval. Numerical simulations demonstrated that, the accuracy of the TMCF approximates the Kalman filter (KF) (the error is about 10−6) in a two-dimensional linear/ Gaussian environment. In a two-dimensional linear/non-Gaussian system, the accuracy of the TMCF is improved by 0.01, and the computation time reduced to 0.067 s from 0.20 s, compared with the particle filter.
    [Show full text]
  • The Monte Carlo Method
    The Monte Carlo Method Introduction Let S denote a set of numbers or vectors, and let real-valued function g(x) be defined over S. There are essentially three fundamental computational problems associated with S and g. R Integral Evaluation Evaluate S g(x)dx. Note that if S is discrete, then integration can be replaced by summation. Optimization Find x0 2 S that minimizes g over S. In other words, find x0 2 S such that, for all x 2 S, g(x0) ≤ g(x). Mixed Optimization and Integration If g is defined over the space S × Θ, where Θ is a param- R eter space, then the problem is to determine θ 2 Θ for which S g(x; θ)dx is a minimum. The mathematical disciplines of real analysis (e.g. calculus), functional analysis, and combinatorial optimization offer deterministic algorithms for solving these problems (by solving we mean finding an exact solution or an approximate solution) for special instances of S and g. For example, if S is a closed interval of numbers [a; b] and g is a polynomial, then Z Z b g(x)dx = g(x)dx = G(b) − G(a); S a where G is an antiderivative of g. As another example, if G = (V; E; w) is a connected weighted simple graph, S is the set of all spanning trees of G, and g(x) denotes the sum of all the weights on the edges of spanning tree x, then Prim's algorithm may be used to find a spanning tree of G that minimizes g.
    [Show full text]
  • Fundamentals of the Monte Carlo Method for Neutral and Charged Particle Transport
    Fundamentals of the Monte Carlo method for neutral and charged particle transport Alex F Bielajew The University of Michigan Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences 2927 Cooley Building (North Campus) 2355 Bonisteel Boulevard Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2104 U. S. A. Tel: 734 764 6364 Fax: 734 763 4540 email: [email protected] c 1998—2020 Alex F Bielajew c 1998—2020 The University of Michigan May 31, 2020 2 Preface This book arises out of a course I am teaching for a two-credit (26 hour) graduate-level course Monte Carlo Methods being taught at the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan. AFB, May 31, 2020 i ii Contents 1 What is the Monte Carlo method? 1 1.1 WhyisMonteCarlo?............................... 7 1.2 Somehistory ................................... 11 2 Elementary probability theory 15 2.1 Continuousrandomvariables .......................... 15 2.1.1 One-dimensional probability distributions . 15 2.1.2 Two-dimensional probability distributions . 24 2.1.3 Cumulative probability distributions . 27 2.2 Discreterandomvariables ............................ 27 3 Random Number Generation 31 3.1 Linear congruential random number generators. ...... 32 3.2 Long sequence random number generators . .... 36 4 Sampling Theory 41 4.1 Invertible cumulative distribution functions (direct method) . ...... 42 4.2 Rejectionmethod................................. 46 4.3 Mixedmethods .................................. 49 4.4 Examples of sampling techniques . 50 4.4.1 Circularly collimated parallel beam . 50 4.4.2 Point source collimated to a planar circle . 52 4.4.3 Mixedmethodexample.......................... 53 iii iv CONTENTS 4.4.4 Multi-dimensional example . 55 5 Error estimation 59 5.1 Directerrorestimation .............................. 62 5.2 Batch statistics error estimation .
    [Show full text]
  • Monte Carlo Method - Wikipedia
    2. 11. 2019 Monte Carlo method - Wikipedia Monte Carlo method Monte Carlo methods, or Monte Carlo experiments, are a broad class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. The underlying concept is to use randomness to solve problems that might be deterministic in principle. They are often used in physical and mathematical problems and are most useful when it is difficult or impossible to use other approaches. Monte Carlo methods are mainly used in three problem classes:[1] optimization, numerical integration, and generating draws from a probability distribution. In physics-related problems, Monte Carlo methods are useful for simulating systems with many coupled degrees of freedom, such as fluids, disordered materials, strongly coupled solids, and cellular structures (see cellular Potts model, interacting particle systems, McKean–Vlasov processes, kinetic models of gases). Other examples include modeling phenomena with significant uncertainty in inputs such as the calculation of risk in business and, in mathematics, evaluation of multidimensional definite integrals with complicated boundary conditions. In application to systems engineering problems (space, oil exploration, aircraft design, etc.), Monte Carlo–based predictions of failure, cost overruns and schedule overruns are routinely better than human intuition or alternative "soft" methods.[2] In principle, Monte Carlo methods can be used to solve any problem having a probabilistic interpretation. By the law of large numbers, integrals described by the expected value of some random variable can be approximated by taking the empirical mean (a.k.a. the sample mean) of independent samples of the variable. When the probability distribution of the variable is parametrized, mathematicians often use a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler.[3][4][5][6] The central idea is to design a judicious Markov chain model with a prescribed stationary probability distribution.
    [Show full text]
  • (MC) Simulation for System Reliability
    Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for system reliability By Fares Innal RAMS Group Department of Production and Quality Engineering NTNU Lecture plan 1. Motivation: MC simulation is a necessary method for complexe systems reliability analysis. 2. MC simulation principle 3. Random number generation (RNG) 4. Probability distributions simulation 5. Simulation realization (History) 6. Output analysis and data accuracy 7. Example 8. MC simulation and uncertainty propagation 2 2 1. Motivation: MC simulation is a necessity Analytical approaches become impractical: Complex systems • Approximated representation that does • High system states number not fit to the real system • Non constant failure (component • Extensive time for the aging) and repair rates development of the • Components dependency: standby, analytical model ... • Infeasible • Complex maintenance strategies: spare parts, priority, limited resources,… • Multi-phase systems (MPS) Simulation is required: a common • Multi-state systems (MSS) paradigm and a powerful tool for • Reconfigurable systems analyzing complex systems, due to • … its capability of achieving a closer adherence to reality. It provides a simplified representation of the system under study. 3 3 1. Motivation: example Analytical approaches Markov chains λC2 C1 Fault tree λ Only one repair man C1 C2* C1 (1) C2 Non constant repair S is available with FIFO μ rates (e.g. lognormal) repair strategy C1 μ C1* C1 C2* μC2 μ C1 C1 C2 C2 C2 (1) • Markov chains λC2 C1* become impractical. C2 • Strong complications for other analytical λC1 approaches MC simulation 4 4 2. MC simulation principle : definitions MC simulation may be defined as a process for obtaining estimates (numeric values) for a given system (guided by a prescribed set of goals) by means of random numbers.
    [Show full text]
  • Applications of Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Inference Using Regression Analysis Ji Young Huh Claremont Mckenna College
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CMC Senior Theses CMC Student Scholarship 2015 Applications of Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Inference Using Regression Analysis Ji Young Huh Claremont McKenna College Recommended Citation Huh, Ji Young, "Applications of Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Inference Using Regression Analysis" (2015). CMC Senior Theses. Paper 1160. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1160 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you by Scholarship@Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in this collection by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE Applications of Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Inference Using Regression Analysis SUBMITTED TO Professor Manfred Werner Keil AND Professor Mark Huber AND Dean Nicholas Warner BY Ji Young Huh for SENIOR THESIS Spring 2015 April 27, 2015 ABSTRACT This paper studies the use of Monte Carlo simulation techniques in the field of econometrics, specifically statistical inference. First, I examine several estimators by deriving properties explicitly and generate their distributions through simulations. Here, simulations are used to illustrate and support the analytical results. Then, I look at test statistics where derivations are costly because of the sensitivity of their critical values to the data generating processes. Simulations here establish significance and necessity for drawing statistical inference. Overall, the paper examines when and how simulations are needed in studying econometric theories. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has a special meaning to me as the first product of my independent academic endeavor that I particularly felt passionate about. I feel very fortunate to have had such a valuable opportunity in my undergraduate career.
    [Show full text]