Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Thesis Digest: Mathematical Interpretation Of Political Power And The Arkansas State Government, Andrew King

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

On the whole, political power can he very difficult to quantify. A person may be powerful due to his or her personal charm, wealth, fame, credibility, or influential connections. Political bodies do not account for these qualities when creating voting procedures; they only assign voting rules to specific positions. For example, most would say that in the United States government that a Senator is more powerful than a Representative, but less powerful than the President, without knowing any way to quantify or verify those differences. Since the 1950's, mathematicians and political scientists have attempted to create mathematical models that partially …