6: Apportionment Method and Paradox

MGF 1131: Mathematics in Context (FSW) · LibreTexts

0%

Contents

    Text

    Size
    100%
    Theme
    Typeface
    Line length
    Spacing

    From LibreTexts, under CC BY-SA 3.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    • 6.1: Apportionment Methods
      This section covers the apportionment process of distributing fixed resources among groups, focusing on political contexts like representative allocation. It introduces key concepts such as standard divisor and quota, and details Hamilton's method through five implementation steps. Examples illustrate the method's application, including assigning representatives to counties, adhering to the Quota Rule, and distributing resources like vaccine packs and scheduling volunteers based on averages.
    • 6.2: Apportionment Paradoxes
      This section explores apportionment paradoxes, including the Alabama, Population, and New-States Paradoxes, emphasizing the flaws in representation methods such as Hamilton's method. It illustrates how states or groups can lose representation even with population growth or increases in total seats.

    Thumbnail: Breakdown of US House of Representatives as of January 1, 2022. Blue circles are Democratic Representatives, red are Republican Representatives and white are vacant (Public Domain; AlSmith28 via Wikipedia)

    This page titled 6: Apportionment Method and Paradox was last modified on Fri, 30 May 2025 03:00:58 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Mike Kenyon & David Lippman via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.