Foundations of Optimization: 258 (Graduate Texts in Mathematics, 258) - Softcover

Güler, Osman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1461426472 ISBN 13: 9781461426479

Publisher: Springer, 2012

Synopsis

Optimization is everywhere. It is human nature to seek the best option among all that are available. Nature, too, seems to be guided by optimization|many laws of nature have a variational character. Among geometric gures in the plane with a xed perimeter, the circle has the greatest area. Such isoperim- ric problems involving geometric gures date back to ancient Greece. Fermat's principle, discovered in 1629, stating that the tangent line is horizontal at a minimum point, seems to have in uenced the development of calculus. The proofs of Rolle's theorem and the mean value theorem in calculus use the Weierstrass theorem on the existence of maximizers and minimizers. The - troduction of the brachistochrone problem in 1696 by Johann Bernoulli had a tremendous impact on the development of the calculus of variations and in uenced the development of functional analysis. The variational character of laws of mechanics and optics were discovered in the seventeenth and ei- teenth centuries. Euler and Lagrange forged the foundations of the calculus of variations in the eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century, Riemann used Dirichlet's principle, which has a variational character, in his investigations in complex analysis. The simplex method for linear programming was disc- ered shortly after the advent of computers in the 1940s, and in uenced the subsequent development of mathematical programming. The emergence of the theory of optimal control in the 1950s was in response to the need for contr- ling space vehicles and various industrial processes.

About this title

Product Description

This book covers the fundamental principles of optimization in finite dimensions. It develops the necessary material in multivariable calculus both with coordinates and coordinate-free, so recent developments such as semidefinite programming can be dealt with.

Review

From the reviews:

“This book is an advanced graduate level text on the mathematical theory of optimization. ... filled with many useful examples and counterexamples that provide intuition to support the more formal theorems and proofs. ... There are also numerous exercises for the student. ... The book will also be useful as a reference for researchers working in various areas of optimization.” (Brian Borchers, The Mathematical Association of America, October, 2010)

“Güler’s book ... is intended for postgraduates or researchers in optimization theory; however, it is also suitable as a textbook in a first-year graduate level course. The book covers a wide range of mathematical tools and results concerning the fundamental principles of optimization in finite-dimensional spaces. ... this book can be a solid reference textbook, useful for graduate students in applied mathematics, economics, engineering, operations research, etc., and, more generally, for anyone wishing to learn the essential mathematical principles of optimization theory.” (Giorgio Giorgi, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2011 e)

"...this textbook presents the state of the art in the theory of continuous optimization in a very transparent and accessible way. Several results are proved in two or more independent ways to gain further insight into the problem structure, and to provide instructors with alternative ways of exposition. The book may be warmly recommended to graduate students and researchers in optimization, operations research, and other fields which apply optimization methods." (Zentralblatt Math, 2010)

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1461426472
• ISBN 13: 9781461426479
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 460