Abstract
The simplex method is used to solve linear programming problems based on pivoting from one iteration to the next. Invented by George Dantzig in 1947, it can be stated in 20 or so instructions for a computer. Commercial codes based on the simplex method, however, usually involve thousands of instructions which are there to take advantage of sparsity (most coefficients of practical problems are zero), to make it easy to start from solutions to variants of the same problem, and to guarantee numerical accuracy of the solution for large-scale systems.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Copyright information
© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Dantzig, G.B. (2018). Simplex Method for Solving Linear Programs. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1457
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1457
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-95188-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95189-5
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences