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Cake-Cutting Algorithms: Be Fair if You Can.
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2000
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Mathematical ProgrammingEngineeringCake-cutting AlgorithmsAlgorithm DesignCombinatorial ProblemAnalysis Of AlgorithmAlgorithmic Mechanism DesignDivision ProblemComputational ComplexityAlgorithmic EfficiencyComputer ScienceElegant ProblemDiscrete MathematicsFair DivisionCombinatorial OptimizationMechanism DesignOperations Research
Fair division of assets, from cakes to valuable properties, is a long‑standing practical problem that has been studied since the 1940s by mathematicians such as Steinhaus, Banach, and Knaster. The book aims to provide a single, accessible reference that surveys the state of the art in cake‑cutting problems for both novices and experts. It presents a comprehensive, coherent treatment of all cake‑cutting algorithms across the various fairness definitions.
The challenge of dividing an asset fairly, from cakes to more important properties, is of great practical importance in many situations. Since the famous Polish school of mathematicians (Steinhaus, Banach, and Knaster) introduced and described algorithms for the division problem in the 1940s, the concept has been widely popularized. This book gathers into one readable and inclusive source a comprehensive discussion of the state of the art in cake-cutting problems for both the novice and the professional. It offers a complete treatment of all cake-cutting algorithms under all the considered definitions of fair and presents them in a coherent, reader-friendly manner. Robertson and Webb have brought this elegant problem to life for both the bright high school student and the professional researcher.