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In probability theory, the matrix analytic method is a technique to compute the stationary probability distribution of a Markov chain which has a repeating structure (after some point) and a state space which grows unboundedly in no more than one dimension.
Also, the growth (and composition) of copolymers may be modeled using Markov chains. Based on the reactivity ratios of the monomers that make up the growing polymer chain, the chain's composition may be calculated (for example, whether monomers tend to add in alternating fashion or in long runs of the same monomer).
The "Markov" in "Markov decision process" refers to the underlying structure of state transitions that still follow the Markov property. The process is called a "decision process" because it involves making decisions that influence these state transitions, extending the concept of a Markov chain into the realm of decision-making under uncertainty.
A game of snakes and ladders or any other game whose moves are determined entirely by dice is a Markov chain, indeed, an absorbing Markov chain. This is in contrast to card games such as blackjack, where the cards represent a 'memory' of the past moves. To see the difference, consider the probability for a certain event in the game.
In probability theory, uniformization method, (also known as Jensen's method [1] or the randomization method [2]) is a method to compute transient solutions of finite state continuous-time Markov chains, by approximating the process by a discrete-time Markov chain. [2]
with initial condition X 0 = x 0, where W t denotes the Wiener process, and suppose that we wish to solve this SDE on some interval of time [0, T]. Then the Euler–Maruyama approximation to the true solution X is the Markov chain Y defined as follows: Partition the interval [0, T] into N equal subintervals of width >:
The discrete Poisson's equation arises in the theory of Markov chains. It appears as the relative value function for the dynamic programming equation in a Markov decision process, and as the control variate for application in simulation variance reduction. [6] [7] [8]
A family of Markov chains is said to be rapidly mixing if the mixing time is a polynomial function of some size parameter of the Markov chain, and slowly mixing otherwise. This book is about finite Markov chains, their stationary distributions and mixing times, and methods for determining whether Markov chains are rapidly or slowly mixing. [1] [4]