Optimizing the Simplex Method
Researchers have found that the leading approach to the simplex method, a widely used technique for balancing complex logistical constraints, cannot be improved further.
The simplex method has its roots in the work of George Dantzig, who solved two famous open problems in statistics as a homework assignment.
He found the homework “harder to do than usual,” he would later recount, and apologized to the professor for taking some extra days to complete it.
Dantzig's work provided the basis for his doctoral dissertation and later inspired the film Good Will Hunting. He received his doctorate in 1946 and became a mathematical adviser to the U.S. after World War II.
World War II's outcome depended on the prudent allocation of limited resources, highlighting the importance of optimization techniques like the simplex method.
Author's summary: Researchers optimize the simplex method.