The Gaussian Integral
This post introduces the Gaussian integral, starting from basic integration and gradually building towards a probabilistic and linear algebraic perspective. The exposition proceeds from a purely mathematical derivation to a more intuitive understanding grounded in probability and linear algebra. I. The Fundamental Theorem The most fundamental Gaussian Integral is as follows: $$ \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \exp \left(-\frac{1}{2}x^2 \right) dx = \sqrt{2\pi} $$ Equivalently, in the form of the standard Gaussian distribution: ...