Fun with the cube root rule

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

So there is a rule of thumb that says a good size for a legislature is the cube of its population. I just wanted to experiment and see which countries/localities/regions obey this arbitrary rule and which are way out.  cube root adjusted numbers first, real life numbers in parenthesis, (populations in italics).

Pitcairn Island Council, 49 - 4 (10)

Cheddar, Somerset Parish Council, 5,724 - 18 (15)

Yukon Legislative Assembly, 33,897 - 32 (19)

Andorran General Council, 79,218  - 43 (28)

Icelandic Althing, 323,002  - 69 (63)

Omaha Council, 434,353  - 76 (7)

Seattle City Council, 652,405  - 87 (9)

South Dakota House of Representatives, 853,175  - 95 (70)

Essex County Council, 1,310,835 - 109 (75)

Council of Paris, 2,229,621  - 131 (163)

Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein, 2,858,714 - 142 (69)

Irish Dail, 4,757,976 - 168 (158)

Norwegian Storting, 5,051,275 - 172 (169)

Hypothetical Reunified Irish Dail, 6,378,000 - 185

New York City Council, 8,550,405 - 204 (51)

London Assembly, 9,787,426  - 214 (25)

Ile De France Regional Assembly, 12,005,077 - 229 (209)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government 13,617,445 - 239 (253)

Polish Sejm 37,115,000 - 334 (460)

UK House of Commons 63,182,000 - 398 (650)

Reunified Korea, 74,461,933  - 421

Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly 199,581,477 - 584 (403)

Brazil House of Reps 208 846 074 - 593 (513)

Chinese National People's Congress, 1,375,000,000 (estimate) - 1,112 (2,987)

Worldwide Parliament (7.4 billion, estimate) - 1,949

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

In case you're curious, the US House would rise to 676 members


Alabama   11   +4
Alaska   2   +1
Arizona   15   +6
Arkansas   7   +3
California   60   +7
Colorado   12    +5
Connecticut 8   +3
Delaware   2   +1
Florida   44   +17
Georgia   22   +8
Hawaii   3   +1
Idaho   4   +2
Illinois   28   +10
Indiana   14   +5
Iowa            7   +3
Kansas   6   +2
Kentucky   10   +4
Louisiana   10   +4
Maine      3   +1
Maryland   13   +5
Mass     15   +6
Michigan   22   +8
Minnesota   12   +4
Mississippi   7   +3
Missouri   13   +5
Montana   2   +1
Nebraska   4   +1
Nevada   6   +2
New Hamp. 3   +1
New Jersey   19   +7
New Mexico 5   +2
New York   43   +16
North Caro 22   +9
North Dak   2   +1
Ohio      25   +9
Oklahoma   9   +4
Oregon       9   +4
Penn.        28   +10
R. Island     2   0
South Caro. 11   +4
South Dakota 2   +1
Tennessee   14   +5
Texas           60   +24
Utah            7   +3
Vermont   1   0
Virginia     18   +7
Washington 16   +6
West Virginia 4   +1
Wisconsin 13   +5
Wyoming 1            0

[DC Al Fine]

Someone should do DRA maps of this.

[danny]

In case you're curious, the US House would rise to 676 members


Alabama   11   +4
Alaska   2   +1
Arizona   15   +6
Arkansas   7   +3
California   60   +7
Colorado   12    +5
Connecticut 8   +3
Delaware   2   +1
Florida   44   +17
Georgia   22   +8
Hawaii   3   +1
Idaho   4   +2
Illinois   28   +10
Indiana   14   +5
Iowa            7   +3
Kansas   6   +2
Kentucky   10   +4
Louisiana   10   +4
Maine      3   +1
Maryland   13   +5
Mass     15   +6
Michigan   22   +8
Minnesota   12   +4
Mississippi   7   +3
Missouri   13   +5
Montana   2   +1
Nebraska   4   +1
Nevada   6   +2
New Hamp. 3   +1
New Jersey   19   +7
New Mexico 5   +2
New York   43   +16
North Caro 22   +9
North Dak   2   +1
Ohio      25   +9
Oklahoma   9   +4
Oregon       9   +4
Penn.        28   +10
R. Island     2   0
South Caro. 11   +4
South Dakota 2   +1
Tennessee   14   +5
Texas           60   +24
Utah            7   +3
Vermont   1   0
Virginia     18   +7
Washington 16   +6
West Virginia 4   +1
Wisconsin 13   +5
Wyoming 1            0

Somethings wrong with California.

[Lachi]

Australian House of Representatives:
Population: 24,262,391
Current legislature size: 150 representatives
Ideal number of representatives: 249

[Antonio the Sixth]

The cube root rule should be understood as a bare minimum, but most decent-sized parliaments (UK, Italy, Sweden) go well beyond that, and so should every country.

[danny]

Israeli Knesset:
Population: 8,587,700
Number of representatives based on cube root: 205
Actual number of representatives: 120

When the country was founded, the Knesset had "too many" members, but the population has grown while the Knesset's size has remained the same.

[Bacon King]

This is how U.S. House seats would have been apportioned in 2010 if the House observed the cube root rule (675 members)

[Mazda]

Population of New Zealand: 4,471,000
Ideal number of representatives: 165
Actual number of representatives: 121 (should be 120, but there's an overhang seat)

Proposed number of representatives from Winston Peters and others: 100

[Hatman 🍁]

Proof that US city councils are dangerously too small.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

National Parliament of Solomon Islands, 523,000-  81 (50)

City Council of Helsinki, 599,676 - 84 (85) CONGRATS HELSINKI

Sri Lankan Parliament, 20,359,439 - 273 (225)

Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly, 5,381,711 - 175 (101)

Kerry County Council, 147,554 - 53 (33)

[Lachi]

In case you're curious, the US House would rise to 676 members


Alabama   11   +4
Alaska   2   +1
Arizona   15   +6
Arkansas   7   +3
California   60   +7
Colorado   12    +5
Connecticut 8   +3
Delaware   2   +1
Florida   44   +17
Georgia   22   +8
Hawaii   3   +1
Idaho   4   +2
Illinois   28   +10
Indiana   14   +5
Iowa            7   +3
Kansas   6   +2
Kentucky   10   +4
Louisiana   10   +4
Maine      3   +1
Maryland   13   +5
Mass     15   +6
Michigan   22   +8
Minnesota   12   +4
Mississippi   7   +3
Missouri   13   +5
Montana   2   +1
Nebraska   4   +1
Nevada   6   +2
New Hamp. 3   +1
New Jersey   19   +7
New Mexico 5   +2
New York   43   +16
North Caro 22   +9
North Dak   2   +1
Ohio      25   +9
Oklahoma   9   +4
Oregon       9   +4
Penn.        28   +10
R. Island     2   0
South Caro. 11   +4
South Dakota 2   +1
Tennessee   14   +5
Texas           60   +24
Utah            7   +3
Vermont   1   0
Virginia     18   +7
Washington 16   +6
West Virginia 4   +1
Wisconsin 13   +5
Wyoming 1            0

I am currently working on redistricting using this. This is what I currently have:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2yZj0EpNqp4SWVzek5DY28wRms

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

btw those figures are wrong, BK's map is better. Sorry.

[mencken]

This is how U.S. House seats would have been apportioned in 2010 if the House observed the cube root rule (675 members)

Assuming I counted right, Trump still wins 441-337* under this map.

*Although the addition of an extra district in Nebraska may cancel out his presumed district win in Maine.

[bagelman]

This is how U.S. House seats would have been apportioned in 2010 if the House observed the cube root rule (675 members)

Assuming I counted right, Trump still wins 441-337* under this map.

*Although the addition of an extra district in Nebraska may cancel out his presumed district win in Maine.

It's looks like that's a good estimation, although it depends on how the districts in NE and ME are drawn.