On the Oxford Mathematics account on TikTok, yes, I know, it’s hard to believe, but there is such a thing on this criticized social network, a teacher posted a clip showing how to divide a cake among an odd number of people so that each guest receives a slice equal to the others.
I don’t know if I’ve piqued your curiosity, but the solution is to cut the cake into an even number of slices, and after distribution, there should be a remainder of one slice left on the plate.
For example, if there are three guests, the cake is easily cut into four pieces, each taking a slice. The remaining one is divided again into four, and so on, ad infinitum, with each guest always receiving equal parts from a progressively smaller remainder of the cake.
The above scene also illustrates how strongly mathematics is connected to reality, the main purpose of this discipline, viewed with suspicion and fear by most students in Romania, being to find solutions to the problems we face in everyday life.
As I write these lines, I can't tell if the new president of Romania, a mathematical genius, and this is not my statement but that of people who know him closely, has solved the complex equations for achieving a parliamentary majority, supporting Ilie Bolojan for the position of prime minister, and reducing the trade deficit, but the movements around him indicate a possible solution.
What Does PSD in Opposition Mean?
With Nicușor Dan's election victory, an independent supported by USR, the party he founded, PSD and PNL, the formations that have led Romania in the last four years, are in crisis.
The entire power network built by Klaus Iohannis to have an upper hand over the governing alliance has crumbled, and now we witness a certain resistance from the two groups that led PSD and PNL, seeking to survive politically.
...the best is to have a government willing to work for three and a half years and with a political prime minister.
Nicușor Dan, President of Romania
For the social democrats, the situation is more complicated. For the first time in the party's 35-year history, PSD failed to advance a candidate to the presidential final, and the results in the parliamentary elections show support from less than a quarter of the total voters.
For the first time, the social democrats obtained poor election results, coupled with the disappearance of pivotal parties from Parliament that could have expanded their influence.
Despite the relaxed attitude projected these days by Sorin Grindeanu, the interim president of the party, PSD has little room for maneuver.
An exit from the government would be catastrophic, potentially leading to the party's fragmentation, offering Ponta a path to regain leadership over at least a faction of PSD.
The entry of such a fragile party into the Opposition, without leadership, without a validated political project in society, without direction, would create a favorable context for fragmentation.
For PSD, remaining in government under any circumstances means maintaining a certain authority and buying time for clarifications and replacing the current worn-out and compromised political figures.
...it's hard to make political decisions in an electoral year, of a different kind, and as sincere as possible. And we, for a year now, keep voting. We voted in the European and local elections... last year, after which we kept entering... It's been a year of continuous voting, and this is bound to be reflected in certain governmental decisions or administrative decisions...
Sorin Grindeanu, Interim President of PSD
PNL in a Better Position
Wisdom has not found its place among the social democrats lately, so anything is possible. Betting today that PSD is willing to engage in a project to reform Romania, make it more efficient, is extremely risky.
The crisis at PNL is significant but not as severe as at the social democrats. For better or worse, the liberals have a leader with a high popularity rating, namely Ilie Bolojan, and within the party, there are ongoing internal struggles between the old leadership structures and the new ones trying to assert themselves. A compromise will soon be reached.
We have... significant revenues that are not collected, and there is a need to increase the collection rate of these revenues, and it is also possible that in this complex of measures, we may find ourselves in a situation where we may have to increase, be forced to increase taxes and duties...
Ilie Bolojan, President of PNL
PNL will enter government alongside USR, UDMR, and minorities.
On the other hand, these days we are witnessing a rapid process of disintegration of the nationalist-extremist movement in Romania.
The parties POT and SOS are losing parliamentarians, drawn to the parties that have decided to enter government, especially to PNL, which has a more relaxed ideological structure capable of absorbing political adventurers.
Thus, the new mathematician president receives a grace period and the opportunity to achieve a parliamentary majority, regardless of PSD's position.
It is true that a broad pro-European alliance around President Nicușor Dan would have greater stability and would present well in relations with partners in the European Union. On the other hand, a majority without PSD would mean limiting the influence of extremist forces but would also lead to an ideological clash within the social democrats, who will be compelled to decide which direction to take, towards Europe or towards Russia.
People who master mathematics have an advantage over us, others, managing to solve problems with patience, different approaches, strategies, great concentration, and effort. They know best that there are no shortcuts, only beautiful solutions - meaning simple and clear, even if sometimes painful.