How should we count the population of the United States? What would happen if we replaced the electoral college with a direct popular vote? What are the consequences of allowing unlimited partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts? Can six-person juries yield verdicts consistent with the needs of justice? Is it racist to stop and frisk minorities at a higher rate than non-minorities? These and other questions have long been the subject of legal and political debate and are routinely decided by lawyers, politicians, judges, and voters, mostly through an appeal to common sense and tradition. But mathematician Jeff Suzuki asserts that common sense is not so common, and traditions developed long ago in what was a mostly rural, mostly agricultural, mostly isolated nation of three million might not apply to a mostly urban, mostly industrial, mostly global nation of three hundred million. In Constitutional Calculus, Suzuki guides us through the U.S. Constitution and American history to show how mathematics reveals our flaws, finds the answers we need, and moves us closer to our ideals. From the first presidential veto to the debate over mandatory drug testing, the National Security Agency's surveillance program, and the fate of death row inmates, Suzuki draws us into real-world debates and then reveals how math offers a superior compass for decision-making. Relying on iconic cases, including the convictions of the Scottsboro boys, League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry, and Floyd v. City of New York, Suzuki shows that more math can lead to better justice, greater fairness, and a more stable democracy. Whether you are fascinated by history, math, social justice, or government, your interest will be piqued and satisfied by the convincing case Suzuki makes.
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Whether you are fascinated by history, math, social justice, or government, your interest will be piqued and satisfied by the convincing case Suzuki makes.
AcknowledgmentsProloguePart I1.21. Stand Up and Be Estimated1.22. (Nearly) Equal Representation1.23. Weighting for a Fair Vote1.24. The Impossibility of Democracy1.4. Dragons and Dummymanders2.1. The Worst Way to Elect a President, Except for All the RestPart IIA4.1. Stop and FriskA4.2. Reverend Thomas Bayes and the LawA5. "The Man of Statistics"A6.1. Despair over DisparityA6.2. Once Is an Accident...A6.3. 12 6 5 10 n-Angry MenA8.1. The Peril and Promise of Social Network AnalysisA8.2. Three Strikes for Three StrikesA8.3. The Price of PunishmentEpilogueSelect Topical BibliographyIndex
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A breath of fresh air. It was a reaffirmation that mathematics should be used more often to make general public policy. -- Charles Ashbacher MAA Reviews
How math trumps tradition in promoting justice, fairness, and a more stable democracy.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781421415956
Publisert
2015-04-26
Utgiver
Vendor
Johns Hopkins University Press
Vekt
522 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
26 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
296

Forfatter

Biographical note

Jeff Suzuki is an associate professor of mathematics at Brooklyn College. He is the author of Mathematics in Historical Context and A History of Mathematics.