Fundamentals of Optimization ― Methods, Minimum Principles, and Applications for Making Things Better

This textbook is for readers new or returning to the practice of optimization whose interest in the subject may relate to a wide range of products and processes. Rooted in the idea of “minimum principles,” the book introduces the reader to the analytical tools needed to apply optimization practices to an array of single- and multi-variable problems. While comprehensive and rigorous, the treatment requires no more than a basic understanding of technical math and how to display mathematical results visually. It presents a group of simple, robust methods and illustrates their use in clearly-defined examples. Distinct from the majority of optimization books on the market intended for a mathematically sophisticated audience who might want to develop their own new methods of optimization or do research in the field, this volume fills the void in instructional material for those who need to understand the basic ideas. 

The text emerged from a set of applications-driven lecture notes used in optimization courses the author has taught for over 25 years. The book is class-tested and refined based on student feedback, devoid of unnecessary abstraction, and ideal for students and practitioners from across the spectrum of engineering disciplines. It provides context through practical examples and sections describing commercial application of optimization ideas, such as how containerized freight and changing sea routes have been used to continually reduce the cost of moving freight across oceans. It also features 2D and 3D plots and an appendix illustrating the most widely used MATLAB optimization functions. 

Dr. Mark French is Professor of Engineering at Purdue University. He began his career as a civilian aerospace engineer in the Analysis and Optimization Branch of what was then the Flight Dynamics Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Over the course of 10 years there, he worked on a range of problems in optimization, aeroelasticity and photomechanics. He then moved to the automotive industry, where he spent nine years as an engineer and a lab manager, specializing in noise and vibration problems. While there, he also began to do informal work for the guitar industry. He came to Purdue University in 2004, where he is now a professor in the School of Engineering Technology. He has authored numerous papers as well as two books on the technical aspects of guitar design.