Practical Optimization

Practical Optimization: Algorithms and Engineering Applications provides a hands-on treatment of the subject of optimization. A comprehensive set of problems and exercises makes the book suitable for use in one or two semesters of a first-year graduate course or an advanced undergraduate course. Each half of the book contains a full semester’s worth of complementary yet stand-alone material. The practical orientation of the topics chosen and a wealth of useful examples also make the book suitable as a reference work for practitioners in the field.

In recent decades, advancements in the efficiency of digital computers and the evolution of reliable software for numerical computation have led to a rapid growth in the theory, methods, and algorithms of numerical optimization. This body of knowledge has motivated widespread applications of optimization methods in many disciplines (e.g., engineering, business, and science) and has subsequently led to problem solutions that were considered intractable not long ago.

The goal of this book is to present basic optimization theory and modern computational algorithms in a concise manner. The book is suitable for un­ dergraduate and graduate students in all branches of engineering, operations research, and management information systems. The book should also be use­ ful for practitioners who are interested in learning optimization and using these techniques on their own.

The goal of this book is to present basic optimization theory and modern computational algorithms in a concise manner. The book is suitable for un­ dergraduate and graduate students in all branches of engineering, operations research, and management information systems. The book should also be use­ ful for practitioners who are interested in learning optimization and using these techniques on their own. Most available books in the field tend to be either too theoretical or present computational algorithms in a cookbook style.