Is $Y_n=f(X_n)$ a Markov chain, when $X_n$ is?

Let $$X_n$$ be an independent Markov chain which has values (states) $$X_n={0,1,2}$$ with its transition matrix. $$\\p= \begin{pmatrix} 0 & \frac{1}{2} & \frac{1}{2} \\ \frac{1}{2} & \frac{1}{2} & 0 \\ 1 & 0 & 0 \end{pmatrix}$$ Let $$Y_n=f(X_n)$$ $$f(0)=0$$ $$f(1)=1$$ $$f(2)=1$$ is $$Y_n$$ a Markov chain?

My intuition and solution: It is not a Markov chain. $$P(Y_n=1|Y_{n-1}=1,Y_{n-2}=0)=\frac{1}{4}$$ $$P(Y_n=1|Y_{n-1}=1)=\frac{1}{2}*p(1)$$, where p(1) is a probability that we are at the state 1, given we are either at the state 1 or 2. Surely probability that we are at the state 1 isn't equal to half, which is obvious if we look at the transition matrix, but how to calculate this probability?

My guess: Lets calculate stationary probabilities, which are $$(\frac{2}{5} ,\frac{2}{5} ,\frac{1}{5})$$, so we are on average two times more often in the state one than in state 2. which would mean that $$p(1)$$, I am looking for is equal to $$\frac{2}{3}$$?

EDIT: I found a way to avoid looking for this probability: it is enough to calculate the probability $$P(Y_n=1|Y_{n-1}=1,Y_{n-2}=1,Y_{n-3}=0)$$, but still I would like to know if I had been right before I found this way.

• – Christoph Feb 14 at 18:44

Lumpability property (see Theorem 6.3.2 in Finite Markov chain, by Kemeny ans Snell): A discrete-time Markov chain $$\{X_{i}\}$$ is lumpable with respect to the partition $$T=\{t_1,\ldots,t_M\}$$ if and only if, for any subsets $$t_i$$ and $$t_j$$ in the partition, and for any states $$n,n'$$ in subset $$t_i$$, \begin{align} {\displaystyle \sum _{m\in t_{j}}p(n,m)=\sum _{m\in t_{j}}p(n',m)} \end{align} In your case, it is easy to see that your chain is not lumpable within the partition $$T=\{\{0\}, \{1,2\}\}$$, as $$p(1,0)\neq p(2,0)$$