Optimization is the problem of making decisions to maximize or minimize an objective in the presence of complicating constraints. The class will take you on a journey through the theory, methods, and application of linear programming, integer programming, Markov chains, and Markov decision processes. You will learn the methods, understand them, practice them, and apply them to problems in business, society, engineering, sports, e-commerce, and medicine. Optimization can bring efficiency throughout society and wherever resources are constrained. Optimization is also used in the design and analysis of engineered systems of all kinds. Linear programming and the beautiful simplex method is at the heart of the class and is the engine for solving optimization problems on a massive scale.