Largest possible covariance

Two random variables satisfy Var⁡(X1)=24\operatorname{Var}(X_1) = 24 and Var⁡(X2)=6\operatorname{Var}(X_2) = 6. Over all joint distributions consistent with these variances, what is the maximum possible value of Cov⁡(X1,X2)\operatorname{Cov}(X_1, X_2)?

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  1. Write Cov⁡=ρ σX1σX2\operatorname{Cov}=\rho\,\sigma_{X_1}\sigma_{X_2} and recall ∣ρ∣≤1|\rho|\le 1.
  2. The max is Var⁡(X1)Var⁡(X2)\sqrt{\operatorname{Var}(X_1)\operatorname{Var}(X_2)}, at ρ=1\rho=1.

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