Geometry Of Optimal Value Functions With Applications To Redundancy In Linear Programming

The standard view of Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS) dichotomizes the field into deterministic and probabilistic (nondeterministic, stochastic) subfields. This division can be seen by reading the contents page of just about any OR/MS textbook. The mathematical models that help to define OR/MS are usually presented in terms of one subfield or the other. This separation comes about somewhat artificially: academic courses are conveniently subdivided with respect to prerequisites; an initial overview of OR/MS can be presented without requiring knowledge of probability and statistics; text books are conveniently divided into two related semester courses, with deterministic models coming first; academics tend to specialize in one subfield or the other; and practitioners also tend to be expert in a single subfield. But, no matter who is involved in an OR/MS modeling situation (deterministic or probabilistic - academic or practitioner), it is clear that a proper and correct treatment of any problem situation is accomplished only when the analysis cuts across this dichotomy.

During the Spring of 1979 one of us (Zionts) was invited to visit Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It was there that Zionts met another of us (Telgen) who was then in the process of completing a dissertation on redundancy in linear programming. At that time, Telgen proposed an extended visit to Buffalo, during which time he and Zionts would do an extensive study on redundancy. Redundancy, hardly an exciting or new topic, does have numerous applications. Telgen and Zionts planned the project for the Summer of 1980, and enlisted the support of all the contributors as well as the other two members of our team (Karwan and Lotfi). Lotfi was then a Ph. D. student in Industrial Engineering searching for a thesis topic. Redundancy became his topic. Karwan and Zionts served as his thesis co-chairmen, with Telgen serving as an outside reader of the thesis. We initially had hoped to complete the study during Telgen's stay in Buffalo, but that was far too optimistic. Lotfi completed his dissertation during the late Spring-early Summer of 1981. As the project took shape, we decided that we had more than enough for an article, or even several articles. Accordingly, not wanting to produce redundant papers, we decided to produce this volume --- a state-of-the-art review of methods for handling redundancy and comprehensive tests of the various methods, together with extensions and further developments of the most promising methods.

Recently Geometric Programming has been applied to study a variety of problems in the analysis and design of communication systems from information theory and queuing theory to signal processing and network protocols. Geometric Programming for Communication Systems begins its comprehensive treatment of the subject by providing an in-depth tutorial on the theory, algorithms, and modeling methods of Geometric Programming. It then gives a systematic survey of the applications of Geometric Programming to the study of communication systems. It collects in one place various published results in this area, which are currently scattered in several books and many research papers, as well as to date unpublished results. Geometric Programming for Communication Systems is intended for researchers and students who wish to have a comprehensive starting point for understanding the theory and applications of geometric programming in communication systems.

Postoptimal Analyses, Parametric Programming, and Related Topics: Degeneracy, Multicriteria Decision Making Redundancy.

A linear semi-infinite program is an optimization problem with linear objective functions and linear constraints in which either the number of unknowns or the number of constraints is finite. The many direct applications of linear semi-infinite optimization (or programming) have prompted considerable and increasing research effort in recent years. The authors' aim is to communicate the main theoretical ideas and applications techniques of this fascinating area, from the perspective of convex analysis. The four sections of the book cover: * Modelling with primal and dual problems - the primal problem, space of dual variables, the dual problem. * Linear semi-infinite systems - existence theorems, alternative theorems, redundancy phenomena, geometrical properties of the solution set. * Theory of linear semi-infinite programming - optimality, duality, boundedness, perturbations, well-posedness. * Methods of linear semi-infinite programming - an overview of the main numerical methods for primal and dual problems. Exercises and examples are provided to illustrate both theory and applications. The reader is assumed to be familiar with elementary calculus, linear algebra and general topology. An appendix on convex analysis is provided to ensure that the book is self-contained. Graduate students and researchers wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the main ideas behind the theory of linear optimization will find this book to be an essential text.

Praise for the Second Edition: "This is quite a well-done book: very tightly organized, better-than-average exposition, and numerous examples, illustrations, and applications." —Mathematical Reviews of the American Mathematical Society An Introduction to Linear Programming and Game Theory, Third Edition presents a rigorous, yet accessible, introduction to the theoretical concepts and computational techniques of linear programming and game theory. Now with more extensive modeling exercises and detailed integer programming examples, this book uniquely illustrates how mathematics can be used in real-world applications in the social, life, and managerial sciences, providing readers with the opportunity to develop and apply their analytical abilities when solving realistic problems. This Third Edition addresses various new topics and improvements in the field of mathematical programming, and it also presents two software programs, LP Assistant and the Solver add-in for Microsoft Office Excel, for solving linear programming problems. LP Assistant, developed by coauthor Gerard Keough, allows readers to perform the basic steps of the algorithms provided in the book and is freely available via the book's related Web site. The use of the sensitivity analysis report and integer programming algorithm from the Solver add-in for Microsoft Office Excel is introduced so readers can solve the book's linear and integer programming problems. A detailed appendix contains instructions for the use of both applications. Additional features of the Third Edition include: A discussion of sensitivity analysis for the two-variable problem, along with new examples demonstrating integer programming, non-linear programming, and make vs. buy models Revised proofs and a discussion on the relevance and solution of the dual problem A section on developing an example in Data Envelopment Analysis An outline of the proof of John Nash's theorem on the existence of equilibrium strategy pairs for non-cooperative, non-zero-sum games Providing a complete mathematical development of all presented concepts and examples, Introduction to Linear Programming and Game Theory, Third Edition is an ideal text for linear programming and mathematical modeling courses at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as a valuable reference for professionals who use game theory in business, economics, and management science.