Question

All the problems we have looked at in this chapter have assumed that all participants receive an equal share of what is being divided. Often, this does not occur in real life. For example, Grandma might specify in her will that John is to receive 50%, Sue is to receive 30%, and Margaret is to receive 20%.

To make things more reasonable, lets look at a simpler example. Suppose Fred and Maria are going to divide a cake using the divider-chooser method. However, Fred is only entitled to 30% of the cake, and Maria is entitled to 70% of the cake (maybe it was a $10 cake, and Fred put in $3 and Maria put in $7). Adapt the divider-choose method to allow them to divide the cake fairly. Assume (as we have throughout this chapter) that different parts of the cake may have different values to Fred and Maria, and that they don't communicate their preferences/values with each other.

Clearly convey your method. The methods in the book use a step-by-step explanation. You might find doing the same helpful.

Your goal is to come up with a method of fair division, meaning that although the participants may not receive equal shares, they should be guaranteed their fair share. Your method needs to be designed so that each person will always be guaranteed a share that they value as being worth at least as much as they're entitled to.

Answer 1