How to Solve It: Modern Heuristics

Book excerpt: This book is the only source that provides a systematic, integrated introduction to problem solving using modern heuristics, presenting the state-of-the-art in both numerical and analytic methods. It covers classic methods of optimization, including dynamic programming, the simplex method, and gradient techniques, as well as recent innovations such as simulated annealing, tabu search, and evolutionary computation. Integrated into the discourse is a series of problems and puzzles to challenge the reader. Written in a lively, engaging style, readers will learn how to use some of the most powerful problem solving tools currently available.