The book is aimed at students who have a working knowledge of linear algebra and partial differentiation but has had no previous exposure to optimization. Mathematics instructors will be comfortable with the mathematical approach which deemphasizes recipes and emphasizes underlying concepts. There are many exercises chosen to highlight the fundamental ideas.

1 Unconstrained Optimization via Calculus.- 1.1. Functions of One Variable.- 1.2. Functions of Several Variables.- 1.3. Positive and Negative Definite Matrices and Optimization.- 1.4. Coercive Functions and Global Minimizers.- 1.5. Eigenvalues and Positive Definite Matrices.- Exercises.- 2 Convex Sets and Convex Functions.- 2.1. Convex Sets.- 2.2. Some Illustrations of Convex Sets in Economics- Linear Production Models.- 2.3. Convex Functions.- 2.4. Convexity and the Arithmetic-Geometric Mean Inequality- An Introduction to Geometric Programming.- 2.5. Unconstrained Geometric Programming.- 2.6. Convexity and Other Inequalities.- Exercises.- 3 Iterative Methods for Unconstrained Optimization.- 3.1. Newton's Method.- 3.2. The Method of Steepest Descent.- 3.3. Beyond Steepest Descent.- 3.4. Broyden's Method.- 3.5. Secant Methods for Minimization.- Exercises.- 4 Least Squares Optimization.- 4.1. Least Squares Fit.- 4.2. Subspaces and Projections.- 4.3. Minimum Norm Solutions of Underdetermined Linear Systems.- 4.4. Generalized Inner Products and Norms; The Portfolio Problem.- Exercises.- 5 Convex Programming and the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker Conditions.- 5.1. Separation and Support Theorems for Convex Sets.- 5.2. Convex Programming; The Karush-Kuhn-Tucker Theorem.- 5.3. The Karush-Kuhn-Tucker Theorem and Constrained Geometric Programming.- 5.4. Dual Convex Programs.- 5.5. Trust Regions.- Exercises.- 6 Penalty Methods.- 6.1. Penalty Functions.- 6.2. The Penalty Method.- 6.3. Applications of the Penalty Function Method to Convex Programs.- Exercises.- 7 Optimization with Equality Constraints.- 7.1. Surfaces and Their Tangent Planes.- 7.2. Lagrange Multipliers and the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker Theorem for Mixed Constraints.- 7.3. Quadratic Programming.- Exercises.