An Introduction to Optimization (Wiley Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization) [Hardcover]

Edwin K. P. Chong (Author), Stanislaw H. Zak (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471758000 | ISBN-13: 978-0471758006 | Publication Date: February 25, 2008 | Edition: 3

Praise from the Second Edition

"...an excellent introduction to optimization theory..." (Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 2002)

"A textbook for a one-semester course on optimization theory and methods at the senior undergraduate or beginning graduate level." (SciTech Book News, Vol. 26, No. 2, June 2002)

Explore the latest applications of optimization theory and methods

Optimization is central to any problem involving decision making in many disciplines, such as engineering, mathematics, statistics, economics, and computer science. Now, more than ever, it is increasingly vital to have a firm grasp of the topic due to the rapid progress in computer technology, including the development and availability of user-friendly software, high-speed and parallel processors, and networks. Fully updated to reflect modern developments in the field, An Introduction to Optimization, Third Edition fills the need for an accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to optimization theory and methods.

The book begins with a review of basic definitions and notations and also provides the related fundamental background of linear algebra, geometry, and calculus. With this foundation, the authors explore the essential topics of unconstrained optimization problems, linear programming problems, and nonlinear constrained optimization. An optimization perspective on global search methods is featured and includes discussions on genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and the simulated annealing algorithm. In addition, the book includes an elementary introduction to artificial neural networks, convex optimization, and multi-objective optimization, all of which are of tremendous interest to students, researchers, and practitioners.

Additional features of the Third Edition include:

• New discussions of semidefinite programming and Lagrangian algorithms

• A new chapter on global search methods

• A new chapter on multipleobjective optimization

• New and modified examples and exercises in each chapter as well as an updated bibliography containing new references

• An updated Instructor's Manual with fully worked-out solutions to the exercises

Numerous diagrams and figures found throughout the text complement the written presentation of key concepts, and each chapter is followed by MATLAB exercises and drill problems that reinforce the discussed theory and algorithms. With innovative coverage and a straightforward approach, An Introduction to Optimization, Third Edition is an excellent book for courses in optimization theory and methods at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as a useful, self-contained reference for researchers and professionals in a wide array of fields.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Examples are stated very clearly and the results are presented with attention to detail." (MAA Reviews, 2008)

From the Back Cover

Praise from the Second Edition

"...an excellent introduction to optimization theory..." (Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 2002)

"A textbook for a one-semester course on optimization theory and methods at the senior undergraduate or beginning graduate level." (SciTech Book News, Vol. 26, No. 2, June 2002)

Explore the latest applications of optimization theory and methods

Optimization is central to any problem involving decision making in many disciplines, such as engineering, mathematics, statistics, economics, and computer science. Now, more than ever, it is increasingly vital to have a firm grasp of the topic due to the rapid progress in computer technology, including the development and availability of user-friendly software, high-speed and parallel processors, and networks. Fully updated to reflect modern developments in the field, An Introduction to Optimization, Third Edition fills the need for an accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to optimization theory and methods.

The book begins with a review of basic definitions and notations and also provides the related fundamental background of linear algebra, geometry, and calculus. With this foundation, the authors explore the essential topics of unconstrained optimization problems, linear programming problems, and nonlinear constrained optimization. An optimization perspective on global search methods is featured and includes discussions on genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and the simulated annealing algorithm. In addition, the book includes an elementary introduction to artificial neural networks, convex optimization, and multi-objective optimization, all of which are of tremendous interest to students, researchers, and practitioners.

Additional features of the Third Edition include:

• New discussions of semidefinite programming and Lagrangian algorithms

• A new chapter on global search methods

• A new chapter on multipleobjective optimization

• New and modified examples and exercises in each chapter as well as an updated bibliography containing new references

• An updated Instructor's Manual with fully worked-out solutions to the exercises

Numerous diagrams and figures found throughout the text complement the written presentation of key concepts, and each chapter is followed by MATLAB exercises and drill problems that reinforce the discussed theory and algorithms. With innovative coverage and a straightforward approach, An Introduction to Optimization, Third Edition is an excellent book for courses in optimization theory and methods at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as a useful, self-contained reference for researchers and professionals in a wide array of fields.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience; 3 edition (February 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471758000
• ISBN-13: 978-0471758006
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars took the class, liked the book, April 29, 1999

By 

Lance Bodnar - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Optimization (Hardcover)

Drs. Chong and Zak are Professors of Electrical Engineering at Purdue, and Dr. Chong was the instructor for the ECE grad level optimization class when I took it spring '97. The book alone is good, detailed and rigorous enough for a graduate course without sacrificing readability or in-chapter examples. However, without the MATLAB examples that were developed by the authors to accompany lectures and illustrate each optimization method covered, the material might be a little abstract or dry for self-teaching. An excellent introduction or reference nonetheless, those without a solid base in linear algebra should keep a reference text handy while reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and concise work on Engineering Linear Programming, October 26, 2010

By 

Marc J. Driftmeyer (WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Optimization, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

This is to all the yahoos bemoaning this work as being terrible.

It's an Engineering class on Linear Programming and Optimization. It's not an Operations Research class on Optimization with Linear Programming and the Simplex Method for Business majors or other Non-Applied Sciences.

Do some research before you take a course with a textbook written and/or taught by a Professor of Electrical Engineering or other engineering discipline.

Having taken this course as an elective during my Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science bachelor degrees I watched my Calculus Professor forcibly pausing and having to stop and restate constantly the work he was trying to teach because it was a Business heavy class.

Off topic:
Washington State University really needs to split the course into two courses and let a grad student teach the basic class for Business Majors and leave the quantitative class for non-business majors who understand Vectors, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations and Multi-Variable Calculus.

Personal Experience:
I personally had a class in Tensor Calculus with a demoted Electrical Engineering Professor who had to move to the Pure and Applied Mathematics department and he could never shut up about how wronged he was but always ignored his past and lack of research that cost him his post.

He was an atrocious professor and his choice in material was garbage. When I asked him to work out his Manifold partial derivatives derivations [how he went from A to Z] he sat for five to ten minutes staring at the board while the 25 students waited. He later turned and told me, ``If you don't understand how to do the derivation then you should not be in this class.''

Did I whine about it on a board about how terrible the course was? No. I told the man I'm paying him to be the professor and prove how he arrived at that result. I then said, if you can't manage that then you are of no use to anyone in this class.

I dropped the class along with about half the other students and he hasn't taught the class since. Retaking Tensor Calculus turned out to be proof that the man was an overbearing braggart who was over his head in teaching this material. When it was taught by a competent person it was like a light bulb going on.

There are excellent works and there are non-excellent works, and then there are nightmares of professors. It's up to the student to determine if it's worth their time to suffer or to cut ties and find a different class with the right combination.

If you don't you'll regret that approach to your university days.

IF YOUR BACKGROUND IS LIGHT IN APPLIED CALCULUS, LINEAR ALGEBRA AND MORE THEN THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU.

It is an excellent book for it's target audience.

Operations Research: An Introduction (8th Edition) by Hamdy A. Taha

http://www.amazon.com/Operations-Research-Introduction-Hamdy-Taha/dp/0131889230/ref=pd_sim_b_5

is an excellent work for one's non-analytically heavy professional life where business and financial analysis is the focus first.

Personally, I learn from both.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It reads like source code, April 17, 2007

By 

Number 837261937 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Optimization, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

I'm an undergraduate math major who is using this book in a linear programming course. The general consesus in my class is that this is a very difficult book to comprehend. Everything seems like it's been abstracted to the n-th degree. Variables are frequently used without reference to definitions, which in many cases appear in earlier sections. It's a pain to try to look up something then have to hunt around for the meaning of all the components used in the definition. That's not to say this book isn't informative, it just takes a lot of work to glean useful information from it. As a student, I prefer books that are easy to reference. I simply don't have time to read the whole chapter about the simplex method when I just want to know how to compute cost coefficients.