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What defines a standard Brownian motion

Question

Give a definition of Brownian motion.

Short answer

A continuous Gaussian process with independent, stationary increments. A standard Brownian motion WW has W0=0W_0=0, continuous paths, and for s<ts<t the increment Wt−WsW_t-W_s is N(0,t−s)N(0,t-s) and independent of the past. Useful consequences: Cov⁡(Ws,Wt)=min⁡(s,t)\operatorname{Cov}(W_s,W_t)=\min(s,t), quadratic variation tt, paths nowhere differentiable, and it is the scaling limit of a random walk.

Adapted from Joshi, Denson & Downes, Quant Job Interview Questions and Answers, Q3.39, p.84; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.

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