# Suppose $X, Y$ are random variables with the equal variance. Show that $X-Y$ and $X+Y$ are uncorrelated.

Suppose that $X$ and $Y$ are random variables with the equal variance.

Show that $X-Y$ and $X+Y$ are uncorrelated.

I get I should use the equation $$E[XY] = E[X]E[Y]$$ For the first part I get $$E[(X-Y)(X+Y)] = E[X^2-Y^2] = E[X^2] - E[Y^2]$$ And I don't know how to follow. Someone has any ideas?

Thank you.

• $(X-Y)(X+Y)=X^2-Y^2$, not $X^2+Y^2$
– user940
Mar 22, 2016 at 14:37
• @ByronSchmuland That's right. Editing the mistyping. Thanks, Byron. Mar 22, 2016 at 14:41

Hence the correlation is $0$.

• Wow, this is really neat I didn't know this. Mar 22, 2016 at 15:14
• MSE is great! You learn something everyday. Glad I could help.
– Em.
Mar 22, 2016 at 15:32

$$\text{Cov}(X-Y,X+Y)=E[(X-Y)(X+Y)]=E[X^2]-E[Y^2]=\text{Var}(X)-\text{Var}(Y)=0$$

where WLOG i have assumed they have $0$ mean.

• Hi. Why can you assume they do have 0 mean? Mar 22, 2016 at 15:13
• @Manuel Cov doesnt change when a constant is added to a r.v. Mar 22, 2016 at 15:21
• Sorry, I still don't get it. Mar 22, 2016 at 15:30
• @Manuel $\text{Cov}(X+a, Y+b) = \text{Cov}(X,Y)$. So we can assume $X$ and $Y$ have 0 mean. Mar 22, 2016 at 15:49

To show $X+Y$ and $X-Y$ are uncorrelated, we need to show that $$E((X+Y)(X-Y))=E(X+Y)E(X-Y).\tag{1}$$ Using a calculation similar to yours, we obtain $$E((X+Y)(X-Y))=E(X^2)-E(Y^2).\tag{2}$$ But in general we have $\text{Var}(W)=E(W^2)-(E(W))^2$. So $E(X^2)=\text{Var}(X)+(E(X))^2$ and $E(X^2)=\text{Var}(X)+(E(X))^2$. Since the variances are the same, we conclude that $$E(X^2)-E(Y^2)=(E(X))^2-(E(Y))^2.\tag{3}$$

Now we compute $E(X+Y)E(X-Y)$. This one is easy. We get $$E(X+Y)E(X-Y)=(E(X)+E(Y))(E(X)-E(Y))=(E(X))^2-(E(Y))^2.\tag{4}.$$ Thus the left side of (1) and the right side of (1) are both equal to $(E(X))^2-(E(Y))^2$, and the result follows.

Let $X$ and $Y$ be elements in an inner product space which have the same norm. Then $X+Y$ and $X-Y$ are orthogonal. Indeed, $$(X+Y,X-Y)=\|X|^2 -\|Y\|^2=0.$$

(same formula as $(a+b)(a-b) =a^2-b^2$).

Equivalently, the two diagonals of the parallelogram generated by $X$ and $Y$ are orthogonal (draw the picture and use elementary geometry).

Now, the set of square integrable random variables with zero mean is an inner product space, equipped with $(X,Y) = E[XY]$.

Suppose that $$\begin{pmatrix} X\\ Y \end{pmatrix}$$ is a random vector with the covariance matrix $$\begin{pmatrix} \sigma^2&\sigma_{X,Y}\\ \sigma_{X,Y}&\sigma^2 \end{pmatrix}.$$ The covariance matrix of the random vector $$\begin{pmatrix} 1&1\\ 1&-1 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} X\\ Y \end{pmatrix} = \begin{pmatrix} X+Y\\ X-Y \end{pmatrix}$$ is given by $$\begin{pmatrix} 1&1\\ 1&-1 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} \sigma^2&\sigma_{X,Y}\\ \sigma_{X,Y}&\sigma^2 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} 1&1\\ 1&-1 \end{pmatrix} = \begin{pmatrix} 2(\sigma^2+\sigma_{X,Y})&0\\ 0&2(\sigma^2-\sigma_{X,Y}) \end{pmatrix}.$$ This shows that $X+Y$ and $X-Y$ are uncorrelated and gives their variances.