Political Geometry - Voting Districts, Compactness, and Ideas About Fairness

Explore the intersection of mathematics and politics in this thought-provoking lecture on political geometry and voting districts. Delve into the concept of "compactness" and its implications for fairness in electoral systems. Examine real-world examples of gerrymandering, including the infamous "Gerry-mander" and controversial districts across the United States. Learn about mathematical concepts such as the Isoparametric Theorem, skew, dispersion, and various compactness metrics. Analyze toy examples and compactness scores to understand their practical applications in assessing district shapes. Investigate discrete area and perimeter calculations, and explore different metrics and methods used in political geometry. Gain insights into extreme gerrymandering cases and their impact on democratic processes. Conclude with a discussion on the broader implications of these mathematical approaches for ensuring fair representation in electoral systems.