Towards consensus: some convergence theorems on repeated averaging

Abstract

The problem of tendency to consensus in an information-exchanging operation is connected with the ergodicity problem for backwards products of stochastic matrices. For such products, weak and strong ergodicity, defined analogously to these concepts for forward products of inhomogeneous Markov chain theory, are shown (in contrast to that theory) to be equivalent. Conditions for ergodicity are derived and their relation to the consensus problem is considered.