Splash Biography

Most US election use an election system called plurality, in which the candidate with the most first place votes wins. Yet there are infinitely many election systems. As systems like ranked choice voting are increasingly used, we must ask a fundamental question about our election system – what makes an election fair? This course will seek to answer that question with the assistance of mathematics.

Should lawmakers vote for their own pay increase? In what order should the House Speaker set up floor votes? What is a poison pill amendment? In this course we will study game theory and apply it to multiple scenarios in political science.

Every decade, the United States conducts a census to determine the population. Congressional seats are divided among the states. Congressional apportionment is the process by which states are granted seats. It is a surprisingly contested issue with no clear answer. In this course, we will look at some of the formulas used to divide congressional seats and their various problems.

Have you every wondered how mathematicians prove statements? In this class, we'll go over the basics of mathematical of mathematical logic. We will finish by exploring two fundamental proofs: $$\sqrt{2}$$ is irrational and there are infinitely many primes.