Optimization

This chapter builds on Chapter 5 about equation solving and explores the related topic of solving optimization problems. Optimization is the process of finding and selecting the optimal element from a set of feasible candidates. In mathematical optimization, this problem is usually formulated as determining the extreme value of a function on a given domain. An extreme value, or an optimal value, can refer to either the minimum or maximum of the function, depending on the application and the specific problem. The chapter covers the optimization of real-valued functions of one or several variables, which optionally can be subject to constraints that restrict the function’s domain.