Each decade, on April 1 of the year that ends in a zero, the United States takes a census of its population. The results affect the allocation of more than $400 billion in federal funding per year to local, state and tribal governments. But a more important reason for the census is its political dimension. It determines how many congresspersons each state sends to the House of Representatives.
The U.S. Constitution states that "the number of representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one representative." In the early days, the number of representatives was increased as the population grew. With a population of over 300 million, and the so-called divisor set at 30,000, the House of Representatives would now number about 10,000 members. But in 1929 the size of the House was fixed at 435. Accordingly the divisor has been adjusted and now stands at one representative for about 700,000 citizens.
The apportionment of seats has, however, presented a problem that has plagued the United States since its inception. Invariably, the number of representatives that a state would be due according to the census, is a fractional number. So, should a state that is due, say, 7.38 representatives, send 7 or 8 congresspersons to the Capitol?
via www.hnn.us
No point here really, just this is the kind of math problem that fascinates me.
