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The Ballot Problem. In an election, candidate Areceives nvotes and candidate Breceives mvotes, where n>m. Assuming that all of the (n+m)!/n!m!orderings of the votes are equally likely, let Pn,mdenote the probability that Ais always ahead in the counting of the votes.

(a) Compute P2,1,P3,1,P3,2,P4,1,P4,2,P4,3.

(b) Find Pn,1,Pn,2.

(c) On the basis of your results in parts (a) and (b), conjecture the value of Pn,m.

(d) Derive a recursion for Pn,min terms of Pn-1,mand Pn,m-1by conditioning on who receives the last vote.

(e) Use part (d) to verify your conjecture in part (c) by an induction proof on n+m.

Short Answer

Expert verified

(a) To compute P2,1,P3,1,P3,2,P4,1,P4,2,P4,3use the method of counting

(b) The value of Pn,1=n-1n+1,Pn,2=n-2n+2

(c) To conjecture the value of Pn,mis Pn,m=n-mn+m,n>m

(d) Derive recursion of Pn,min terms of Pn-1,mand Pn,m-1is Pn,m=nn+m×Pn-1,m+mn+m×Pn,m-1

(e) by mathematical induction, for somek∈Nandm∈0,1,2,3...,n>msuch thatn+m=k, the formula is true

Step by step solution

01

Find the values of P2,1,P3,1,P4,1 (part a)

Problem with the ballot box

The votes are read in a random sequence once n+mpersons have voted for Aor B.

An,m-in the scenario that candidate S(nvotes) always wins over candidate B(m<nvotes).

Pn,m=PAn,m

Candidate Areceives the L-last vote read.

This is accomplished by counting events that are equally likely (ordering of reading the n+mvotes).

Find P2,1

These are the possible orders of reading the votes:

AABABABAA

Only in the first case, A is the lead in every moment of counting. Taking the ratio:

P2,1=13

Find P3,1

AAABAABAABAABAAA

P3,1=14

Find P4,1

AAAABAAABAAABAAABAAABAAAA

P2,1=13

02

Find the value of P3,2,P4,2,P4,3 (part a)

The order of reading the votes, defined by the placement of votes for one candidate A/B, has a total of 2+32=2+33=10equally likely alternatives.

AAABBAABABAABBAABAABABABA...

The events that lead to P3,2are only mentioned here; a more systematic approach is required.

⇒P3,2=210=15

P4,2

There are a total of 2+42=2+43=15events that are equally likely.

AABABAAABAABAAABBAAAABABAAAABBAABBAAABABAA...

⇒P4,2=515=13

P4,3

There are a total of3+42=3+43=35 events that are equally likely.

AABABABAABAABBAAABABBAAABBABAAAABBBAABBAAAABABAAA...

⇒P4,3=535=17

03

Find Pn,1,Pn,2 (part b)

Generalized logic form

Pn,1

There are a total of n+11=n+1n=n+1equally likely outcomes (orders of counting votes),

When B's vote is counted, it is defined.

Counting of the events in which Ais in the lead after each vote is counted

Because Ais in the lead after the first vote is counted, the first vote goes to A.

Because Ais in the lead after the second count, the first two votes cannot be AB- a tie.

Ais the second vote.

Regardless of how the remaining votes are distributed, Awill be in the lead because Bhas only one vote.

As a result, which of the n+1-2votes following the first two are for B=n-1events distinguishes the events that contribute to Pn,1is not affected by any other occurrence.

⇒Pn,1=n-1n+1

Pn,2

When B's vote is counted, there are a total ofn-12=(n-1)(n-2)2
equally likely potential outcomes.

Counting of the events in which Ais in the lead after each vote is counted

Counting of the events in which Ais in the lead after each vote is counted

Because Ais in the lead after the first vote is counted, the first vote goes to A.

Because Ais in the lead after the second count, the first two votes cannot be AB- a tie.

Ais the second vote.

If the third vote is a B, the fourth cannot be a Bbecause it will result in an AABBtie.

Then the order would be AABA, and whenever Bis =n-2potential orders, Awill take the lead because Bcan only have two possible orders.

⇒Pn,2=(n-1)(n-2)2+(n-2)(n+2)(n+1)2=n-2n+2

04

Conjecture the value of Pn,m (part c)

Using the formulae,

Pn,m=n-mn+m

Stating independence with:

Pn,m=PAn,m∩L+PAn,m∩Lc

and therefore,

PAn,m∩L=n×Pn-1,m×(n-1+m)!(n+m)!=nn+m×Pn-1,m

Same things leads to,

PAn,m∩Lc=m×Pn,m-1×(n-1+m)!(n+m)!=mn+m×Pn,m-1

This gives,

Pn,m=nn+m×Pn-1,m+mn+m×Pn,m-1

05

Recursion for Pn,m in terms of Pn-1,m and Pn,m-1 (part d)

By recursive formula,

Pn,m=nn+m×Pn-1,m+mn+m×Pn,m-1

The formulaPn,m=n-mn+mwill be proved.

If n+m=1, This gives:

P1,0=1-01+0=1

Because n+m∈{0,1,2,3....},the real case would be n+m=0, but since it is undefined, that is right for all n+M∈N.

Assume that the formula holds for every n,mwithn+m=kfor k∈N.

If n,mare such that n+m=k+1, then the following is true:

Pn,m=nn+m×Pn-1,m+mn+m×Pn,m-1

06

Verify the conjecture by an induction proof n+m (part e)

By (n-1)+m=(n+m)-1=k+1-1=kand n+(m-1)=1, apply the mathematical induction. Then,

Pn,m=nn+m×n-1-mn-1+m+mn+m×n-(m-1)n+m-1

=n(n-m-1)+m(n-m+1)(n+m)(n+m-1)

=(n-m)(n+m-1)(n+m)(n+m-1)=(n-m)(n+m)

This establishes that for all n,m that n+m=k+1, and this is based on the mathematical induction principle.

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