Learn About Fair Division
Fair division means dividing resources in a way that's provably fair for everyone involved. Since Hugo Steinhaus first described the “cake cutting” problem in 1944, researchers in Economics, Mathematics, and Computer Science have developed hundreds of methods for mathematically fair sharing.
Most of these methods are math theories but a few are quite useful for everyday things as well. For example, settling inheritance disputes, deciding fair rent between roommates, or splitting up chores. Some methods are even used to settle resource disputes between countries!
Should I be using these methods?
Maybe! Here are a few tools that use fair division methods:
- New York Times's Divide Your Rent Fairly
- This website's Resource Splitting Tool for divisible resources like cakes, time spans, physical space.
In everyday activities, it's probably best to talk things through and reach a mutual agreement with others. Fair division methods are most suited for situations where people can't agree but we still want everyone gets a fair share.
If you are curious to learn the logic behind provably fair solutions, I've developed a fun, interactive course. You'll get to explore the famous cake cutting problem, which is the heart of the fair division field. Please check it out!
Cut and Choose
This method of splitting a resource between 2 people is called Cut and Choose. It works like this:
- One person cuts the resource into two portions which they judge to have equal value. Both portions are equal to them so they will accept either one.
- The second person chooses which piece they personally prefer. This piece may be worth more to them than 1⁄2 of the whole cake.
Cut and Choose is proportionally fair to both people. However, if the chooser values parts of the cake differently than the cutter, one piece may be worth more than half. Therefore, with Cut and Choose, it's better to be the chooser.