Slide 2
Slide 2 text
3. We now consider Buffon’s needle experiment, where metal needles of length are
thrown upon a wooden floor made of planks of width t ≥ and where the number
of times the needles cross a plank separation (or line) is counted. The resulting
proportion leads to an approximation of π since the probability of crossing a line is
2 /tπ. (This model assumes all planks are identical, parallel, and horizontal.)
(a) Implement the following R code :
BuffonsPi <- function(N=1000,D=50,L=.25){
# warning: L is the half-length
numbhits <- function(A,B){
sum(abs(trunc(A[,2])-trunc(B[,2]))>0)}
O <- runif(N,min=0,max=pi/2) #angle
U <- L+runif(N)*(D*sqrt(1+apply(cbind(sin(O)^2,
cos(O)^2),1,min))-2*L)
C <- cbind(U*cos(O),U*sin(O)) # centre
A <- C+L*cbind(cos(O),sin(O)) # endpoint A
B <- C-L*cbind(cos(O),sin(O)) # endpoint B
return(2*2*L*N/numbhits(A,B))
}
and explain the meaning of the outcome.
(b) Explain why (or accept the fact that) this R code is only approximately solving
Buffon’s original problem and identify from the R code what the corresponding
values of and t are.
(c) Study how the corresponding approximation of π converges with N, including
a confidence interval in your evaluation.
(d) Repeat the study with D=100, then with D=10.
Exercise 2
Given the integral
I =
3
2
e−x+5
(1 + x2)
dx
1. Give the exact value of I using the R integrate function (up to a small precision).
2. Propose a Monte-Carlo method using an n-sample from an exponential distribution
with λ = 1. Give the corresponding 95% confidence interval for i with n = 104. Ex-
plain or show why using the Cauchy distribution would result in a worse estimator.
3. Propose an alternative method based on an n-sample from a uniform distribution.
Give the corresponding 95% confidence interval for i with n equal to the previous
exercise.
4. Establish which method is better by graphical (plotting the evolution of both esti-
mators as n increase) and numerical means.