Optimization Onramp Overview
Learn about optimization in the Optimization Onramp, a free, self-paced online course that provides hands-on experience with solving optimization problems in a web-based version of MATLAB®. Topics covered in Optimization Onramp include:
- Creating an optimization problem
- Defining relevant variables and the function upon which they depend
- Adding constraints to possible solutions and finding the optimal solution
- Solving three realistic optimization problems, such as determining the best location for a factory that provides inventory to three stores
Published: 6 Jul 2021
You may not realize it, but optimization is a part of our daily lives. Take running errands, for example. There are many ways to get from your house to the grocery store, but how do you find the quickest route? Well, the GPS says this way looks good, but while you're driving, traffic develops. Now what's the fastest route?
Your GPS recognizes limitations of the problem like the traffic conditions and performs an optimization to provide the best solution. You could also take the optimization into your own hands and simply drive faster, but you can only increase your speed until you reach the maximum allowed by your engine or the authorities.
Optimization problems all involve minimizing or maximizing something called an objective function, which represents the quantity that you'd like to optimize, but they can be hard to solve since they can have limitations placed on the allowable solutions.
In this course, you'll use MATLAB to explore the problem-based optimization workflow. You will initialize an optimization problem, define variables relevant to the problem and the function on which they depend, add limitations to the possible solutions, and ultimately find the optimal solution.
By the end, you will have found the solution to three optimization problems-- the best location for a factory which provides inventory to three stores, the best combination of foods for a healthy, balanced breakfast, and the optimal dose of radiation to deliver to a cancerous brain tumor.
To get started, all you need is a web browser. You'll interact with a web-based version of MATLAB where you'll receive step-by-step instructions and instant feedback. You can also experiment and try things out on your own. You don't need to learn a lot of theory to start solving optimization problems, but it will help if you know a little bit of MATLAB, just the basics.
If you've never used MATLAB before, it's easy to get started and we recommend you first take MATLAB Onramp to get up to speed quickly. This course should take about two hours to complete, but you can leave any time and come back later. And when you're done, you can download a shareable certificate of completion. Start the course today.
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