Operations Research: A Practical Introduction (Hardcover)

INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH
The Origins and Applications of Operations Research
System Modeling Principles
Algorithm Efficiency and Problem Complexity
Optimality and Practicality
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LINEAR PROGRAMMING
The Linear Programming Model
The Art of Problem Formulation
Graphical Solution of Linear Programming Problems
Preparation for the Simplex Method
The Simplex Method
Initial Solutions for General Constraints
Information in the Tableau
Duality and Sensitivity Analysis
Revised Simplex and Computational Efficiency
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Illustrative Applications

NETWORK ANALYSIS
Graphs and Networks: Preliminary Definitions
Maximum Flow in Networks
Minimum Cost Network Flow Problems
Network Connectivity
Shortest Path Problems
Dynamic Programming
Project Management
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Illustrative Applications

INTEGER PROGRAMMING
Fundamental Concepts
Typical Integer Programming Problems
Zero-One Model Formulations
Branch-and-Bound
Cutting Planes and Facets
Cover Inequalities
Lagrangian Relaxation
Column Generation
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Illustrative Applications

NONLINEAR OPTIMIZATION
Preliminary Notation and Concepts
Unconstrained Optimization
Constrained Optimization
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Illustrative Applications

MARKOV PROCESSES
State Transitions
State Probabilities
First Passage Probabilities
Properties of the States in a Markov Process
Steady-State Analysis
Expected First Passage Times
Absorbing Chains
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Illustrative Applications

QUEUING MODELS
Basic Elements of Queuing Systems
Arrival and Service Patterns
Analysis of Simple Queuing Systems
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Illustrative Applications

SIMULATION
Simulation: Purposes and Applications
Discrete Simulation Models
Observations of Simulations
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DECISION ANALYSIS
The Decision Making Process
An Introduction to Game Theory
Decision Trees
Utility Theory
The Psychology of Decision Making
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Illustrative Applications

HEURISTIC TECHNIQUES FOR OPTIMIZATION
Local Improvement Heuristics
Optimization by Simulated Annealing
Parallel Annealing
Genetic Algorithms
Neural Networks
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Illustrative Applications

APPENDIX: Review of Essential Mathematics