Math 1007: Mathematics and Politics
Section 11
Spring 2026

Contact Info
Spring 2025

Office: Phillips Hall 720E
Email: jaydaigle@gwu.edu

Office Hours:

Course Information

Lecture:

  • TR 4:45 PM–6:00 PM
  • MPA 309

Official textbook:

  • The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition
  • Robinson and Ullman
  • ISBN: 9781498798907

Course Information

Lecture:

  • TR 4:45 PM–6:00 PM
  • MPA 309

Official textbook:

  • The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition
  • Robinson and Ullman
  • ISBN: 9781498798907

Daily Assignments

Week 1: January 12 – 16
January 13: Mathematical Reasoning
January 15: Voting Systems
Week 2: January 19 – 23
January 20: Two-Candidate Elections
January 22: Criteria for Voting Systems
Week 3: January 26 – 30
January 27: Multi-Candidate Criteria
January 29: Evaluating Voting Systems I
Week 4: February 2 – 6
February 3: Evaluating Voting Systems II
February 5: Evaluating Voting Systems III
Week 5: February 9 – 13
February 10: Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem
February 12: Test 1 on Voting
  • Rules
    • Plan to take the whole class
    • Will have 6-7 questions
    • Bring a one-sided handwritten note sheet
    • You can bring a calculator but it probably won’t be useful
  • Topics
    • Two-candidate methods and criteria
    • Multi-candidate methods and criteria
    • Short proofs and counter-examples
    • Drawing conclusions from criteria
  • Read the solutions to Quiz 1
  • Read the solutions to Quiz 2
  • Before the midterm on Monday September 29, I recommend you work on the following problems in the textbook. All are odd-numbered and thus have solutions in the back of the book. You do not need to submit them to us.
    • 1.1
    • 1.7
    • 2.3
    • 2.5
    • 3.7
    • 3.9
    • 4.1
    • 4.5
    • 5.3
Week 6: February 16 – 20
February 17: The Problem of Apportionment
February 19: Hamilton’s Method
Week 7: February 23 – 27
February 24: Jefferson’s Method
February 26: Divisor Methods
  • Quiz 3 today
    • Hamilton’s method
    • Jefferson’s method
    • basic criteria and paradoxes
  • Slides
Week 8: March 2 – 6
March 3: Divisor Methods II
March 5: Evaluating Apportionment Methods
Spring Break: March 9-13

No class! Go have fun!

Week 9: March 16 – 20
March 17: Apportionment Methods and Impossibility
March 19: The Best Apportionment Methods
  • Quiz 4 today
    • Bring a one-sided handwritten note sheet
    • You can and should bring a calculator
  • Slides
Week 10: March 23 – March 27
March 24: Test 2 on Apportionment
  • Read the solutions to Quiz 3
  • Read the solutions to Quiz 4
  • No homework due today
  • Rules
    • Plan to take the whole class
    • Will have 6-7 questions
    • Bring a one-sided handwritten note sheet
    • You can and should bring a calculator
  • Topics
    • Hamilton’s method and Lownde’s method
    • Divisor Methods and Critical Divisors
    • Short proofs relating criteria
    • Understanding criteria and which methods satisfy which criteria
    • Interpreting simple algebraic formulas
  • Before the midterm, I recommend you work on the following problems in the textbook. All are odd-numbered and thus have solutions in the back of the book. You do not need to submit them to us.
    • 7.5
    • 7.7
    • 8.3
    • 8.9
    • 8.13
    • 9.1
    • 9.5
    • 11.5
March 26: Zero-Sum Games
Week 11: March 30 – April 3
March 31: Strategies, Outcomes, and Saddle Points
April 2: Probability and Randomness
Week 12: April 6 – 10
April 7: Expected Value and Mixed Strategies
April 9: Nash Equilibria
Week 13: April 13 – April 17
April 14: Solving 2×2 Games
April 16: Conflict and Cooperation
Week 14: April 20 – 24
April 21: Some Important Games
April 23: Class Choice: Gerrymandering or the Electoral College
  • Vote on which topic you’d prefer to hear about!
    • Vote at this Google form
    • If you want your vote to be counted, please vote by the end of Monday April 20.
    • Neither topic will appear on the final exam; you should choose the one you’re more interested in learning about.
Finals Week
Reading Days
Office Hours Schedule

TBD

Final Exam Tuesday, May 5; 5:20–7:20 PM

Syllabus

Course notes

Homework

Tests

Calculators will be allowed on quizzes and tests. I particularly encourage you to bring a calculator for tests during unit 2, on apportionment.

For all in-class assignments, I will allow you to bring a cheat sheet you have made. You must physically write on the sheet of paper you bring in; no printouts will be allowed. For quizzes and midterms I will allow a one-sided cheat sheet, and for the final I will allow a two-sided cheat sheet.

Textbook

The official textbook for Math 1007 is The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition by E. Arthur Robinson and Daniel H. Ullman. It should be available free online through the library website, and you can buy a hard copy for under $50 if you wish. I will be expecting you to read sections of the textbook and assigning problems out of it.