All The Gerrys Mandered(Encore)

All The Gerrys Mandered(Encore)

Author: ACMEScience August 31, 2017 Duration: 23:17

Gerrymandering – the dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

Few aspects of politics are as clearly open to mathematical analysis as gerrymandering. Just looking at district maps seems to scream for geometric analysis, and there really are a lot of different tests out there. Samuel spoke to David Austin about some potential gerrymandered districts and ways to test for them, then things got a bit bizarre. Samuel also sat down with Jonathan Hodge to talk about a technique Hodge helped develop to test for gerrymandering called the Convexity Coefficient.

Not all of the ways to test for possible gerrymandering rely on geometry. Duke University Professor Jonathan Mattingly and his former student Christy Vaughn, she is currently a graduate student at Princeton, decided to use probability theory to check to see if the districts used in North Carolina’s 2012 elections had been drawn fairly. The results were eye opening.

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Behind every equation, theorem, and abstract concept, there are human stories waiting to be told. Relatively Prime: Stories from the Mathematical Domain uncovers these narratives, moving far beyond textbook explanations to explore the passion, curiosity, and occasional frustration that drive mathematical discovery. Produced by ACMEScience, this podcast delves into the rich, often overlooked history and culture surrounding numbers and ideas. Each episode feels like a conversation, where you might hear about the quirky personalities behind pivotal proofs or the unexpected ways mathematical thinking shapes our everyday world. The focus is on connection-how mathematics intertwines with art, politics, philosophy, and personal endeavor. Tuning in, you'll find a thoughtful and accessible series that treats its subject with warmth and depth, making the domain of maths feel both relatable and astonishing. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered about the stories buried within the formulas, offering a genuinely human perspective on a profoundly human intellectual pursuit. This isn't about solving for x; it's about understanding the why.
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Relatively Prime: Stories from the Mathematical Domain
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