Political numeracy
Subtitle: mathematical perspectives on   our chaotic constitution
By: by Michael I. Meyerson.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Norton
Published: 2002
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 287
Subjects: Mathematics -- Social aspects.; United States -- Politics and government.
Description: "Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" follows the pattern of a Euclidean geometric proof, but the Constitution, it seems, is a document made to embody the mathematical theory of chaos.

From the impossibility of a perfectly democratic vote to the creation of a model that clarifies affirmative action debates, constitutional law professor and math enthusiast Michael Meyerson uses mathematics to open a fresh, exciting window onto American public life, skillfully interpreting historical events and contemporary dilemmas through a mathematical lens.".

"Meyerson shows how the principle of probability played an important role in the seemingly contradictory decisions in the criminal and civil trials of O. J. Simpson.

He also makes a convincing case for the mathematical virtues of the electoral college, despite the drama of the presidential election of 2000, uses game theory to explain the constantly shifting balance of power among the three branches of our federal government, relates the concept of infinity to the ongoing heated debate over abortion, and uses topology and chaos theory to explain why our Constitution has managed thus far to survive the turmoil of social and political change in America.".

"Meyerson also shows us how math, properly understood, is not about reducing life to numbers and black-and-white solutions, but instead offers a mind-expanding perspective on the complexities of our world."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. Logic (Healthy and Ill); title: 2. Majority Rules; title: 3. The Positive Value of Consensus; title: 4. The First Veto; title: 5. What Does Equality Equal?; title: 6. Game Theory and the Constitution; title: 7. Multidimensional Thinking; title: 8. Infinity and the Constitution; title: 9. The Incomplete Constitution; title: 10. Constitutional Chaos; title: 11. The Mathematics of Limits; title: 12. The Limits of Mathematics.