The second edition is aimed namely, the broad spectrum of students in a variety of fields (engineering, business, mathematical sciences, and social sciences), who sometimes prefer a modest use of mathematics to an immoderate amount of verbosity. Chapters 2 to 7 on mathematical programming (Part I) require no mathematics beyond high school algebra. Somewhat more mathematical training is desirable in Part 2 (Chapters 8 to 15), which presents probabilistic models. Although portions of Part 2 can be covered without further pre- requisites, a basic knowledge of elementary calculus is assumed in a few places. Part 3 (Chapters 16 to 18) on advanced topics in mathematical programming is meant for students who wish to go beyond elementary material in mathematical programming; it also requires the mathematical maturity achieved through knowledge of the calculus. There are many ways to package the material in this text into a course. The book is divided into parts, with a gradation of levels of difficulty. Therefore it is well suited for a relatively wide range of student capabilities. It is aimed largely at the junior or senior undergraduate level and for first year (Masters level) graduate students. The book has great flexibility. Part I or Parts I and 3 (on mathematical programming) may be covered essentially independently of Part 2 (on probabilistic models) and vice versa. Furthermore, the chapters within Parts 1 and 3 are essentially independent, with the one exception that they all use basic material presented in Chapter 2. Within Part 2 there is considerable flexibility of coverage, although some integration of the material is available.
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