Review of mathematical basis. Mathematical foundations of symbolic programming. OR techniques introduced in 210 and 250 sequences, e.g., linear and integer programming, network flow problems, inventory theory, Markov Chains, decision trees, forecasting and simulation techniques in the environment of the spreadsheet. Emphasis is on extending the applicability of these techniques through integration with existing business data structures rather than exploring the underlying mathematical theory. The practical and philosophical issues associated with the modeling process.
Purpose is to improve one's ability to build formal structures for solving practical problems.
Students are given first-hand experience in constructing and critiquing mathematical models, emphasizing ingenuity and creativity rather than mathematical models or techniques. Generation of uniform and non-uniform random variables. Simulation in a parallel environment. Interdisciplinary perspectives on problem solving and decision making. Modeling intelligent organization systems that work via coordinated actions of multiple, participating actors in complex, dynamic domains.