Geometry in the Courtroom

DOI10.1080/00029890.2018.1517570zbMATH Open1401.00005arXiv1709.05662OpenAlexW2964278066WikidataQ128836622 ScholiaQ128836622MaRDI QIDQ4559663FDOQ4559663

Noah Giansiracusa, Cameron Ricciardi

Publication date: 4 December 2018

Published in: The American Mathematical Monthly (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: There has been a recent media blitz on a cohort of mathematicians valiantly working to fix America's democratic system by combatting gerrymandering with geometry. While statistics commonly features in the courtroom (forensics, DNA analysis, etc.), the gerrymandering news raises a natural question: in what other ways has pure math, specifically geometry and topology, been involved in court cases and legal scholarship? In this survey article, we collect a few examples with topics ranging from the Pythagorean formula to the Ham Sandwich Theorem, and we discuss some jurists' perspectives on geometric reasoning in the legal realm. One of our goals is to provide math educators with engaging real-world instances of some abstract geometric concepts.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.05662

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of statistics (62Pxx) Convex sets in (2) dimensions (including convex curves) (52A10) Voting theory (91B12) Popularization of mathematics (00A09) Elementary problems in Euclidean geometries (51M04)

Cites Work

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Gerrymandering and Convexity
• Gerrymandering, Sandwiches, and Topology
• A Formula Goes to Court: Partisan Gerrymandering and the Efficiency Gap
• Math on trial. How numbers get used and abused in the courtroom

Cited In (1)

• The geometry of legal principles

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