Optimization plainly dominates the design, planning, operation, and c-
trol of engineering systems. This is a book on optimization that
considers particular cases of optimization problems, those with a
decomposable str- ture that can be advantageously exploited. Those
decomposable optimization problems are ubiquitous in engineering and
science applications. The book considers problems with both complicating
constraints and complicating va- ables, and analyzes linear and
nonlinear problems, with and without in- ger variables. The
decomposition techniques analyzed include Dantzig-Wolfe, Benders,
Lagrangian relaxation, Augmented Lagrangian decomposition, and others.
Heuristic techniques are also considered. Additionally, a comprehensive
sensitivity analysis for characterizing the solution of optimization
problems is carried out. This material is particularly novel and of high
practical interest. This book is built based on many clarifying,
illustrative, and compu- tional examples, which facilitate the learning
procedure. For the sake of cl- ity, theoretical concepts and
computational algorithms are assembled based on these examples. The
results are simplicity, clarity, and easy-learning. We feel that this
book is needed by the engineering community that has to tackle complex
optimization problems, particularly by practitioners and
researchersinEngineering, OperationsResearch, andAppliedEconomics.The
descriptions of most decomposition techniques are available only in
complex and specialized mathematical journals, di?cult to understand by
engineers. A book describing a wide range of decomposition techniques,
emphasizing problem-solving, and appropriately blending theory and
application, was not previously availabl
