Optimization: Foundations and Applications

A thorough and highly accessible resource for analysts in a broadrange of social sciences.

Optimization: Foundations and Applications presents a series ofapproaches to the challenges faced by analysts who must find thebest way to accomplish particular objectives, usually with theadded complication of constraints on the available choices.Award-winning educator Ronald E. Miller provides detailed coverageof both classical, calculus-based approaches and newer,computer-based iterative methods.

Dr. Miller lays a solid foundation for both linear and nonlinearmodels and quickly moves on to discuss applications, includingiterative methods for root-finding and for unconstrainedmaximization, approaches to the inequality constrained linearprogramming problem, and the complexities of inequality constrainedmaximization and minimization in nonlinear problems. Otherimportant features include:

* More than 200 geometric interpretations of algebraic results,emphasizing the intuitive appeal of mathematics

* Classic results mixed with modern numerical methods to aidusers of computer programs

* Extensive appendices containing mathematical details importantfor a thorough understanding of the topic

With special emphasis on questions most frequently asked by thoseencountering this material for the first time, Optimization:Foundations and Applications is an extremely useful resource forprofessionals in such areas as mathematics, engineering, economicsand business, regional science, geography, sociology, politicalscience, management and decision sciences, public policy analysis,and numerous other social sciences.

An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all theproblems in the book is available upon request from the Wileyeditorial department.

RONALD E. MILLER, PhD, is professor emeritus of regional science at the University of Pennsylvania.