apportionment

Everyday

1. (formal) The act of dividing something and sharing it out in parts, often fairly. tree →
2. (US) The way seats in a government body are shared out between areas by population. tree →

In the lessons

In maths and exam language it means sharing a total in a given ratio: apportionment of £60 in the ratio 1:2 gives £20 and £40. In US civics, apportionment decides how many representatives each state gets. Phrases: apportionment of costs, fair apportionment.

Examples

• The apportionment of the prize money was decided by votes. tree →
• Find the apportionment of 30 sweets in the ratio 2:3. tree →
• The apportionment gave 12 sweets to one child and 18 to the other. tree →
• The court decided the apportionment of blame. tree →
• In the US, apportionment is based on population. tree →
• Fair apportionment of chores keeps the peace at home. tree →

Note

Verb: apportion. Formal word; everyday words are share or divide. In ratio problems, add the parts, divide the total by that sum, then multiply by each part.