The Secret of the Simplex Algorithm Discovered

prostoalex writes "While the Simplex algorithm is considered to be one of the most widely used algorithms in complex networks, the reason for its efficiency has been so far not too clear. Daniel Spielman and Shanghua Teng discovered the secret of why the Simplex algorithm works so well by introducing imprecision into the worst-case scenario analysis. Their article will be published in Journal of ACM, although MIT Technology Review at the aforementioned link quotes Spielman expressing his doubts whether anyone will be able to make it through 80-page document filled with equations and formal explanations of the method."

Comments

Pardon my ignorance...

[recursiv]

But what is the simplex algorithm? Or at least, what problem does it solve? I've never heard of it before, and the linked description is either not describing what the algorithm actually does or is too dense for me to understand.

The idea of an algorithm that is used on all kinds of major networks, but no one knows why it works sounds rather intriguing, but can anyone offer any background?

Thanks in advance.

So sad...

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone else here think that it's sad that the number of comments for this story, which represents a significant breakthrough in mathematics and information theory, is less than 5 whereas the once-every-three-days stories about how Microsoft is screwing over their customers or some newfangled thing for Linux has been released always generates 100s of comments?

Popularity?

[RAMMS EIN]

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. This is why it's a Good Thing that hardly anything is really democratic; the masses just aren't interested and thus ignorant.