Description

Book Details

Linear programming finds the least expensive way to meet given needs with available resources. Its results are used in every area of engineering and commerce: agriculture, oil refining, banking, and air transport. Authors Kolman and Beck present the basic notions of linear programming and illustrate how they are used to solve important common problems. The software on the included disk leads students step-by-step through the calculations. The Second Edition is completely revised and provides additional review material on linear algebra as well as complete coverage of elementary linear programming. Other topics covered include: the Duality Theorem; transportation problems; the assignment problem; and the maximal flow problem. New figures and exercises are provided and the authors have updated all computer applications. The companion website on www.elsevierdirect.com contains the student-oriented linear programming code SMPX, written by Professor Evar Nering of Arizona State University. The authors also recommend inexpensive linear programming software for personal computers.

About the Author

Bernard Kolman received his B.S. (summa cum laude with honors in mathematics and physics) from Brooklyn College in 1954, his Sc.M. from Brown University in 1956, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965, all in mathematics. During the summers of 1955 and 1956, he worked as a mathematician for the U.S. Navy, and IBM, respectively, in areas of numerical analysis and simulation. From 1957-1964, he was employed by the UNIVAC Division of Sperry Rand Corporation, working in the areas of operations research, numerical analysis, and discrete mathematics. He has also had extensive experience as a consultant to industry in operations research. From 1964-1998, he was a member of the Mathematics Department at Drexel University, where he also served as Acting Head of this department. Since 1964, his research activities have been in the areas of Lie algebras and operations research.

Professor Kolman is the author of numerous papers, primarily in Lie algebras, and has organized several conferences in this area. He is also well known as the author of many mathematics textbooks that are used worldwide and have been translated into other languages.