SYLLABUS – Math 5593: Linear Programming

Fall 2003

Professor: Weldon A. Lodwick

 

Office: CU-Denver Building, Room 622

Telephone: 556-8462 (office - voice mail), 556-8442 (secretary)

E-Mail: weldon.lodwick@cudenver.edu

Web Site: http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~wlodwick

Text:    Linear and Nonlinear Programming by Stephen G. Nash and Ariela Sofer, McGraw-Hill, 1996.

 

Office Hours:  TTh      4:25 –   5:25 PM            CU-Denver Bldg 622

W         9:00 – 10:00 AM           CU-Denver Bldg 622

                        Other times by appointment

 

Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that requires accommodation in this course, please see me as soon as possible.  I am happy to make appropriate accommodations, provided timely notice is received.

 

Prerequisites: Math 3191 and Math 4320 or consent of the instructor.

 

Below is the proposed outline.  The weeks listed are tentative and indicate my best estimate as to the pace of the class.

 

PROPOSED COURSE OUTLINE

Week            Topic                                                                     Readings

1/2        Introduction                   Sections 1.1-1.3, 2.1-2.3, 3.3 from Chapters 1 - 3 

3/4        Geometry of Linear Programming                                  Chapter 4

5/6        The Simplex Method                                                      Chapter 5

7/8        Duality and Sensitivity                                                    Chapter 6

9/10      Enhancements of the Simplex Method                            Chapter 7

11/12    Computational Complexity and Interior Point Method       Chapter 9

13/14    Optimization under uncertainty (if time permits)               Notes, readings and handouts

15         Catch-up

 

MY APPROACH TO TEACHING

I believe that teaching is a process that involves an active partnership.  My role is that of a guide to your learning.  Therefore, I am responsible to open the way, to encourage, and to nudge you toward your own learning.  I will help guide you toward this learning by providing mathematics for you to experience.  It is my aim to communicate mathematics in a way that is supportive and nurturing of your efforts. Your role is to find a way to experience and articulate the mathematics that is presented and that you encounter.  I believe that it is your responsibility to let me know when you find yourself not understanding mathematical concepts that are presented in class.  Once you make this known, it is our responsibility to work on trying to attain clarity.  I will try to be as proactive as possible.  I believe that results on examinations and assignments give us the opportunity to clearly see where the areas of mathematical understanding are and what areas need more attention.

 

OUTCOMES

By the end of the semester you should be able to read, understand and apply linear programming theory associated with the topics covered in the semester to correctly solve associated problems at the level of our textbook.  Secondly, given a problem for which linear programming can be used, you should be able to translate the description of the problem into a correct linear programming model, and obtain the correct solution(s).  Lastly, by the end of the semester, you should be able to judge for yourself, the veracity of statements made in linear programming texts and articles that are at beginning graduate level. 

 

EVALUATION

There are three evaluative criteria: (i) assigned problems (30% of your grade), (ii) in-class midterm (30% of your grade) and (iii) a take-home comprehensive final (40% of your grade).  Evaluation is based on a point system so that it is very important that you turn in your projects, assignments and complete exams as thoroughly as possible rather than taking a zero score.

 

EXAMINATION: The in-class midterm will be given on October 14th and consists of the material covered between the first day and October 9th.  As best as I can determine now, it will cover chapters 1-6.  The final exam will be comprehensive and I will distribute the exams November 25th and they are due in no later than 7pm on December 9th.  There will be some topics on the exam that will be covered on the week of December 1st.

 

ASSIGNMENTS: The assignments are due one week after the completion of the associated chapters.

Assignment 1:   2.2/1, 2, 6, 7, 9

                        2.3/1-5, 9, 13, 14a,c,g, 15-17

Assignment 2:   3.2/1c,d, 2-5

                        3.3/1a, 2-6, 8-10, 13, 15, 18

Assignment 3:   4.1/1b,f, 2

                        4.2/1, 2, 4-7

                        4.3/1-6, 12, 14

                        4.4/1-4, 6-8

Assignment 4:   5.2/2b, 3, 4, 6

                        5.3/1, 2, 4

                        5.4/1, 3, 4

                        5.5/1, 2, 6c, 8

                        5.6/1-3, 6

Assignment 5:   6.1/3-7

                        6.2/2, 5, 11, 12

                        6.3/3, 4, 7

                        6.4/2

                        6.5/1, 4

Assignment 6:   7.2/1, 4, 7, 8

                        7.3/1a, 2, 7, 10

                        7.4/2

                        7.5/3

                        7.6/2-4, 7

Assignment 7:   9.1/1,3

                        9.3/1, 3

                        9.6/1, 2, 6

Assignments 1 and 2 are worth 2.5% each and assignments 3-7 are worth 5% each.  If we have an assignment associated with optimization under uncertainty, it will be worth 5% extra credit. 

 

POLICIES

Adds, drops and incomplete grades: See Schedule of Courses for the relevant dates with respect to adding and dropping this course.  Given the budget cuts facing universities, you must be registered by the dated specified or you will not get credit.  The incomplete policy of the Mathematics Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is strictly enforced.  Incomplete grades are given only in situations in which a student who has been in good standing all semester, is prevented from completing part of the work (for example the final report) due to circumstances beyond her/his control (for example, hospitalization, jury duty, revised job assignments, death in the family).

 

Legitimate Excuses: Legitimate excuses are for reasons that are beyond your control.  You may be required to produce an official, signed excuse.  If you are needed in a wedding, for example, you must talk to me prior to the (blessed) event.  If you are legally arrested, then this is not a legitimate excuse.  For matters that are within your control, the general rule is that it is not excused.  However, talk to me prior to the event.

 

The following distribution of grades is guaranteed.  However, the university does not recognize pluses and minuses for graduate students.

            A+ 97-100%, A 93-96.9%, A- 90-92.9%

             B+ 87-89.9%, B 83-86.9%, B- 80-82.9%

             C+ 77-79.9%, C 73-76.9%, C- 70-72.9%

             D+ 67-69.9%, D 63-66.9%, D- 60-62.9%

 

General advice: Keep all materials that I turn back in case you think I have not credited you with the points you earned.  I can only correct your score if you have what I have turned back to you. It is a good idea to copy anything that you turn in just in case I lose what you turn in. Please check to make sure that the points you earned are the points I have recorded.  Note: The statistics that I have read about correctness of professors in recording grades state that there is a 6% error rate in our recording of your grades.  Please make sure that I have correctly recorded your points.