Final answer:
The question addresses the mathematical process of determining the upper and lower quotas for the apportionment of representatives among states, based on their populations and a fixed number of total representatives.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the concept of congressional apportionment, which is essential to understanding how the number of representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives is divided among states based on population counts from the census.
Since the quota (both upper and lower) must align to ensure fair representation, we must calculate the standard divisor by dividing the total population by the number of available seats.
Then, apply the Huntington-Hill method (if that's the method used for determining quotas) to assign the upper and lower quotas for each state, which results in a list of apportioned representatives that should total the set number of 80 representatives in this hypothetical scenario.
An accurate determination of upper and lower quotas is crucial in maintaining equal representation in governmental systems based on population.
Due to the limitation mentioned above of 435 members for the House of Representatives and apportionment influenced by population changes, different states might gain or lose representatives after each census.