Introduction to Mathematical Programming (2nd Edition)

Empowering users with the knowledge necessary to begin using

mathematical programming as a tool for managerial applications, this

practical text shows when a mathematical model can be useful in solving

a problem, and instills an appreciation and understanding of the

mathematics associated with the applied techniques. Surveys problem

types, and discusses various ways to use specific mathematical tools.

Contains a brief introduction to matrix algebra as prerequisite material

for the study of linear programming. The discussion of linear

programming includes a verification of the simplex algorithm and a

chapter on duality and sensitivity analysis. Discusses the special

structures of four network problems: the transportation problem, the

critical path method, the shortest path problem, and minimal spanning

trees. Includes the method of Lagrange multipliers for non-linear

optimization. Touches on "mathematics" oriented (vs. applications)

material, with integrated proofs and discussions on such topics as basic

graph theory, matrix algebra, and properties of algorithms. Appendices

include answers to the odd problems, an introduction to the linear

programming software LINDO, an overview of the symbolic computation

package Maple, and a brief introduction to Excel and its optimization

add-in Solver.