[Math] marginal distribution and product measure

probability

Let $(\Omega_j, P_j)$ be a probability space, $P = P_1 \otimes \cdots \otimes P_n$ the product measure on $\Omega = \Omega_1 \times \cdots \times \Omega_n$ and $P'_j$ the j-th marginal distribution of P.

I want to show that $P'_j = P_j,$ for $j = 1, \ldots ,n$. But I wonder what to do there. I know that the marginal distributions $P_j : \mathcal P(\Omega_j) \rightarrow \mathbb R$ form a probability measure, so doesn't the statement follow directly from definition?

Thanks for help!

Best Answer

If $\pi_j:\Omega\to\Omega_j$ denotes the $j$th projection map, i.e. $$ \pi_j(\omega_1,\ldots,\omega_n)=\omega_j,\quad $$ then the $j$th marginal distribution of $P$ is the probability measure $$ P_j'(A):=P(\pi_j^{-1}(A)),\quad A\in \mathcal{F}_j, $$ where $\mathcal{F}_j$ is the sigma-algebra on $\Omega_j$. But for $A\in\mathcal{F}_j$ we have $$ \pi_j^{-1}(A)=\{(\omega_1,\ldots,\omega_n)\in\Omega\mid \omega_j\in A\}=\Omega_1\times\cdots\times A\times\cdots \times\Omega_n, $$ where $A$ is in the $j$th position, and hence $$ \begin{align} P_j'(A)&=P(\Omega_1\times\cdots\times A\times\cdots \times\Omega_n)\\ &=P_1(\Omega_1)\cdots P_j(A)\cdots P_n(\Omega_n)=P_j(A). \end{align} $$