What do allocating territory to the victors of a war, dividing up chores among siblings, and cutting a cake have in common?
All these problems involve a given number of "players", whose goal it is to evenly divide some "object" among themselves. Can this be done? Can we find a way to make everyone happy?
If only 2 people are involved, the solution is this: One person cuts the cake and the other chooses the piece they prefer.
Can we find a solution that is guaranteed to be fair and just when 3 or more parties are involved, or is a food fight inevitable?
This talk is accesible at all levels.
Friedrich Kluempen is currently studying for a PhD
at SUNY Binghamton with his research focused on Algebra. He received his
B.A. in Mathematics from SUNY Binghamton in 1994, and his M.A., also from
SUNY Binghamton, in 1997. He is a fellow in the "Preparing Future Faculty"
Program in the Department of Mathematical Sciences.