Linear Programming and Its Applications (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics)

The effectiveness of the algorithms of linear programming in solving problems is largely dependent upon the particular applications from which these problems arise. A first course in linear programming should not only allow one to solve many different types of problems in many different contexts but should provide deeper insights into the fields in which linear programming finds its utility. To this end, the emphasis throughtout Linear Programming and Its Applications is on the acquisition of linear programming skills via the algorithmic solution of small-scale problems both in the general sense and in the specific applications where these problems naturally occur. The first part of the book deals with methods to solve general linear programming problems and discusses the theory of duality which connects these problems. The second part of the book deals with linear programming in different applications including the fields of game theory and graph theory as well as the more traditional transportation and assignment problems. The book is versatile; in as much as Linear Programming and Its Applications is intended to be used as a first course in linear programming, it is suitable for students in such varying fields as mathematics, computer science, engineering, actuarial science, and economics.