Harvard AM205 video 4.1 - Introduction to nonlinear equations and optimization
Channel: Chris Rycroft
Date: 2020-11-23

Harvard Applied Math 205 is a graduate-level course on scientific computing and numerical methods. This video introduces Unit 4 of the course, on nonlinear equations and optimization. A number of motivating examples are discussed, and some basic definitions and concepts are presented. The bisection method—a simple scalar root-finding approach—is demonstrated.

For more information see the main course website at https://people.math.wisc.edu/~chr/am205

The video discusses the following journal article on the use of optimization in the biological sciences:
Marcus Roper, Rachel E. Pepper, Michael P. Brenner, Anne Pringle, "Explosively launched spores of ascomycete fungi have drag-minimizing shapes", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 105, 20583–20588 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1073 / pnas.0805017105