Monte Carlo Methods in Fuzzy Optimization (Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing, 222)

1. 1 Introduction The objective of this book is to introduce Monte Carlo methods to ?nd good approximate solutions to fuzzy optimization problems. Many crisp (nonfuzzy) optimization problems have algorithms to determine solutions. This is not true for fuzzy optimization. There are other things to discuss in fuzzy optimization, which we will do later onin the book, like? and < between fuzzy numbers since there will probably be fuzzy constraints, and how do we evaluate max/minZ for Z the fuzzy value of the objective function. This book is divided into four parts: (1) Part I is the Introduction containing Chapters 1-5; (2) Part II, Chapters 6-16, has the applications of our Monte Carlo method to obtain approximate solutions to fuzzy optimization problems; (3)PartIII,comprisingChapters17-27,outlinesour“un?nishedbusiness”which are fuzzy optimization problems for which we have not yet applied our Monte Carlomethodtoproduceapproximatesolutions;and(4)PartIVisoursummary, conclusions and future research. 1. 1. 1 Part I First we need to be familiar with fuzzy sets. All you need to know about fuzzy sets for this book comprises Chapter 2. For a beginning introduction to fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic see [2]. Three other items related to fuzzy sets, needed in this book, are also in Chapter 2: (1) in Section 2. 5 we discuss how we have dealt in the past with determining max/min(Z)for Z a fuzzy set representing the value of anobjective function in a fuzzy optimization problem; (2) in Section 2.