Exercise · ZW-COVARIANCE-004 · ★☆☆ Basic
If \(X\) and \(Y\) are independent with \(E[X]=2\) and \(E[Y]=5\), what is \(\operatorname{Cov}(X,Y)\)?
Choose one option.
A \(10\) B \(7\) C \(0\) D \(-10\)
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Explanation With independence \(E[XY]=E[X]E[Y]=10\), so the covariance is \(10-10=0\).
The covariance \(\operatorname{Cov}(X,Y)\) of two variables \(X\) and \(Y\) measures whether they tend to deviate from their expectations \(E\) in the same or opposite directions: it is the expectation of the product of their deviations.
\[\operatorname{Cov}(X,Y)=E\big[(X-E[X])(Y-E[Y])\big]\]
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