Definition (Infinitely often)
For a sequence of events An,n∈N n→∞limsupAn:=n=1⋂∞i=n⋃∞Ai={Ai i.o.}
Definition (Almost always)
For a sequence of events (An)n∈N: n→∞liminfAn=n=1⋃∞i=n⋂∞Ai={Ai a.a.}
Definition (Increasing Events)
Given a Probability Space and a sequence of events (An)n≥1, we write An↗A to mean that A1⊆A2⊆⋯⊆An⊆…i.e. that An are increasing events.
Definition (Decreasing Events)
Given a Probability Space and a sequence of events (An)n≥1, we write An↘A to mean that A1⊇A2⊇⋯⊇An⊇…i.e. that An are decreasing events.
Proposition
n→∞limsupAnn→∞liminfAn={ω∈Ω:ω∈Ai for infinitely many i}={ω∈Ω:ω∈Ai, ∀i except finitely many}
Proposition (3.4.1)
P(n→∞liminfAn)≤n→∞liminfP(An)≤n→∞limsupP(An)≤P(n→∞limsupAn)
\begin{proof} The middle inequality holds by definition so we prove only the first inequality since the last holds using the same logic.
First recall that n→∞liminfAn=n≥1⋃k≥n⋂AkThen note that ⋂k≥nAk is a sequence of Increasing Events in n to liminfn→∞An, hence by Continuity of Probability we have P(n→∞liminfAn)=P(n⋃k≥n⋂Ak)=n→∞limP(k≥n⋂Ak)=n→∞liminfP(k≥n⋂Ak)and since An⊇⋂k≥nAk, by Monotonicity of Probability Measure we have n→∞liminfP(k≥n⋂Ak)≤n→∞liminfP(An).
\end{proof} >[!rmk] >The Infinitely often is useful for characterizing “rare events” in a stochastic process or for understanding the long-term behavior of random systems. > In simpler terms, it can answer questions like, “Given a random process, what can we say will eventually happen with certainty?” This is crucial for understanding phenomena where we’re not just interested in immediate or short-term randomness but also in the behavior of the system over an extended period.