Operations Research: A Practical Introduction / Edition 1

by Michael W. Carter, Camille C. Price

Overview

Students with diverse backgrounds will face a multitude of decisions in a variety of engineering, scientific, industrial, and financial settings. They will need to know how to identify problems that the methods of operations research (OR) can solve, how to structure the problems into standard mathematical models, and finally how to apply or develop computational tools to solve the problems.

Perfect for any one-semester course in OR, Operations Research: A Practical Introduction answers all of these needs. In addition to providing a practical introduction and guide to using OR techniques, it includes a timely examination of innovative methods and practical issues related to the development and use of computer implementations. It provides a sound introduction to the mathematical models relevant to OR and illustrates the effective use of OR techniques with examples drawn from industrial, computing, engineering, and business applications.

Many students will take only one course in the techniques of Operations Research. Operations Research: A Practical Introduction offers them the greatest benefit from that course through a broad survey of the techniques and tools available for quantitative decision making. It will also encourage other students to pursue more advanced studies and provides you a concise, well-structured, vehicle for delivering the best possible overview of the discipline.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849322563
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/28/2000
Series:	Operations Research Series
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	410
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael W. Carter and Camille C. Price

Table of Contents

Introduction to Operations Research. Linear Programming. Network Analysis. Integer Programming. Nonlinear Optimization. Markov Processes. Queuing Models. Simulation. Decision Analysis. Heuristic Techniques in Operations Research.

Editorial Reviews

"The chapter on heuristics techniques is particularly welcome."
Short Book Reviews, Vol. 21, No. 2, August, 2001

From the Publisher

This textbook for a single-semester introductory course presents mathematical models and algorithms for scientific decision-making, design, analysis, and management. In addition, each chapter includes a section describing some of the software tools available for analysis and problem-solving. Topics include the creation and solution of linear programming problems, network analysis, integer programming, nonlinear optimization, Markov processes, queuing models, simulation, decision analysis, and recently developed approaches to problem- solving. Appendices review essential mathematics. Carter is a professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at the U. of Toronto; Price is a professor of computer science at Stephen F. Austin State University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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