Introduction

Overview

This is a new book in Operation Research that emphasizes the use of Python.

Operations Research (OR) or Management Science concerns advanced analytical methods for better decision making. It is a practical discipline that deals with quantitative thinking in managerial scenarios. It uses tools from mathematical sciences, such as modeling, statistics, and optimization, to arrive at optimal or near-optimal solutions to complex decision-making problems. Operations research is often concerned with determining the extreme values of real-world objectives, such as maximizing profit or minimizing cost.

Operations research is used to deal with real-world problems. For example:

  • Scheduling: hospital patients, classes, buses, planes, sporting events.

  • Marketing: store layout, advertising, social media, online ad placement, recommendations on a website.

  • Product development: product features, pricing, sales forecasts.

  • Inventory: how many to build, how many touchpads the store should have in stock.

  • Organizations: business management, cross-cultural issues, social networks.

  • Queueing: waiting for lines at amusement parks, banks, movie theaters, the line at the store to buy new electronic gadgets, traffic.

  • Environment: managing sustainable resources, reducing materials needed to manufacture a product.

  • Optimizing: internet search engines, product design.

  • Decision making: security, investment, what college to attend.

To use Lumache, first install it using pip:

(.venv) $ pip install lumache

Other ways of writing code:

>>> import lumache
>>> lumache.get_random_ingredients()
['shells', 'gorgonzola', 'parsley']

Creating recipes