Final answer:
To find the standard quota, divide the total population by the number of available seats. This results in the number of people each seat represents in a proportional representation system and is crucial in the method of largest remainders for seat distribution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Finding the Standard Quota
The standard quota refers to a number you get in the process of allocating seats in a proportional representation system, such as in elections or in apportionment of representatives among states, for example. To find the standard quota, you would use the following formula: Standard Quota = Total Population / Number of Seats Available. This is the initial step in the method of largest remainders for seat distribution in apportionment.
To put this into practice, if a legislature has 100 seats and the population is 1,000,000, the standard quota would be calculated as follows:
Standard Quota = 1,000,000 / 100 = 10,000. This means that, in this scenario, every 10,000 people are represented by one seat in the legislature.
Remember that this is a generalized explanation and the precise method might require more steps, such as rounding to whole numbers or dealing with additional rules if there are remainders. Nonetheless, finding the standard quota is the essential first step.