Related papers: Taming the Gerrymander--Statistical Physics Approa…
We present extensive numerical simulations of a family of non-equilibrium Potts models with absorbing states that allows for a variety of scenarios, depending on the number of spin states and the range of the spin-spin interactions. These…
We present a physically appealing and elegant picture for quantum computing using rules constructed for a game of darts. A dartboard is used to represent the state space in quantum mechanics and the act of throwing the dart is shown to have…
The two-dimensional Potts Model with 2 to 10 states is studied using a cluster algorithm to calculate fluctuations in cluster size as well as commonly used quantities like equilibrium averages and the histograms for energy and the order…
The two-dimensional Potts Model with 2 to 10 states is studied using a cluster algorithm to calculate fluctuations in cluster size as well as commonly used quantities like equilibrium averages and the histograms for energy and the order…
We study the inverse problem of deducing the dynamical characteristics (such as the potential field) of large systems from kinematic observations. We show that, for a class of steady-state systems, the solution is unique even with…
We build simple models for the distribution of voting patterns in a group, using the Supreme Court of the United States as an example. The least structured, or maximum entropy, model that is consistent with the observed pairwise…
The ``Gibbs Paradox'' refers to several related questions concerning entropy in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics: whether it is an extensive quantity or not, how it changes when identical particles are mixed, and the proper way to…
The new scheme employed (throughout the thermodynamic phase space), in the statistical thermodynamic investigation of classical systems, is extended to quantum systems. Quantum Nearest Neighbor Probability Density Functions are formulated…
Strategic manipulation of elections is typically studied in the context of promoting individual candidates. In parliamentary elections, however, the focus shifts: voters may care more about the overall governing coalition than the…
Suppose that we wish to estimate a vector $\mathbf{x}$ from a set of binary paired comparisons of the form "$\mathbf{x}$ is closer to $\mathbf{p}$ than to $\mathbf{q}$" for various choices of vectors $\mathbf{p}$ and $\mathbf{q}$. The…
Democracies employ elections at various scales to select officials at the corresponding levels of administration. The geographical distribution of political opinion, the policy issues delegated to each level, and the multilevel interactions…
A model, based on a noncommutative geometry, unifying general relativity with quantum mechanics, is further develped. It is shown that the dynamics in this model can be described in terms of one-parameter groups of random operators. It is…
In parliamentary elections, parties compete for a limited, typically fixed number of seats. Most parliaments are assembled using apportionment methods that distribute the seats based on the parties' vote counts. Common apportionment methods…
We introduce algebraic sets in the complex projective spaces for the mixed states in bipartite quantum systems as their invariants under local unitary operations. The algebraic sets of the mixed state have to be the union of the linear…
Gerrymandering is the perversion of an election based on manipulation of voting district boundaries, and has been a historically important yet difficult task to analytically prove. We propose a Markov Chain Monte Carlo with Simulated…
Schelling's model of segregation demonstrates that even in the absence of social or governmental interventions, individuals with mild in-group preferences can self-organize into strongly segregated neighborhoods. Many variants of this…
We revisit the relationship between quantum separability and the sign of the relative q-entropies of composite quantum systems. The q-entropies depend on the density matrix eigenvalues p_i through the quantity omega_q = sum_i p_i^q. Renyi's…
The challenge of understanding the collective behaviors of social systems can benefit from methods and concepts from physics [1-6], not because humans are similar to electrons, but because certain large-scale behaviors can be understood…
There is growing concern that over the past decade, industrialized democratic nations are becoming increasingly politically polarized. Indeed, elections in the US, UK, France, and Germany have all seen tightly won races, with notable…
The Potts model was one of the most popular physics models of the twentieth century in an interdisciplinary context. It has been applied to a large variety of problems. Many generalizations exists and a whole range of models were inspired…