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How best should we vote?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Tony Crilly*
Affiliation:
10 Lemsford Road, St Albans AL1 3PB, e-mail: [email protected]

Extract

Traditionally ‘Applied Mathematics’ meant mathematics applied to mechanics, physics and the hard sciences, leaving the application of mathematics to social sciences fairly neglected. This is both a challenge and an opportunity.

An instance of this is in the science of voting.

Let's go down to Chuddlehampton-upon-Severn to see how mathematics can be applied in a ‘real-life situation’. The good folk of this small village have to elect their local councillor, the person to represent them at the Regional Council. “Go and elect someone” was the only instruction they were given. So how were they to go about it?

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Mathematical Association 2012

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References

1. Baylis, John, Reasonable elections don't exist, Math. Gaz. 69 (June 1985) pp. 95103.Google Scholar
2. Geanakoplos, John, Three brief proofs of Arrow's impossibility theorem, Cowles Foundation Paper No. 1116, Economic Theory, 26, (2005) pp. 211215.Google Scholar
3.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow's_impossibility_theoremGoogle Scholar