Operations Research

Catalog description

Operations Research will focus on linear programming and game theory. The theory behind linear programming will be revealed and a large variety of practical examples will be presented. Students will use the technique to solve practical problems on their own using computers at labs on campus. We will generalize the method to include non-linear programming, again with practical examples. Then we will study game theory. Game theory is one of the primary tools economists use to study strategic choices. One of many examples is pricing and entry behavior in oligopolistic markets. Finally we will relate game theory with linear programming as it is the case that certain types of games can be solved using linear programming. This is a tools class and no project will be required. Students will have extensive problem sets.