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George Dantzig, 1914-2005
Markus Registrada writes "George Dantzig, the inventor of the Simplex method for solving Linear Programming problems, died on May 13. He was also the now-legendary student who turned in solutions for what he had taken to be a homework assignment, only to find out they had been posted as examples of what were suspected to be unsolvable problems."
If so, George has certainly earned a look at The Book. (The one containing all possible mathematical theorems...)
Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
Quadratic Programming is used in solving portfolio optimisation problems, a mathematical way to ensure a portfolio of risky assets are diversified.
:P
Well, to backtrack a bit, we can use linear programming for making predictions "pragmatically". Think the lame old spreadsheet neural net
I mean, saying that linear programming has little to do with computing kind of slaps the best program ever made in its face.
The Spread Sheet (I default to Excel, but insert you fav modern flavor)
Excel is probably the most powerful, robust, versatile, used for everything and the kitchen sink, program ever created. It's a freaking Swiss army knife, and it's because of Linear Programming.
We may not directly use it (ever), but Linear Programming has shaped modern computing as we know it.
What happend to me was the opposite.
A few years ago my math teacher gave us an exam with one particular problem that I couldn't solve. (Apparently a typo or misplaced sign made a rather simple problem into an unsolvable one).
So I went to the library, researched on the problem, and found out it was unsolvable. I PROVED IT mathematically, but the teacher didn't believe me.
And my grade wasn't changed! Doesn't that suck!?
Lesson to be learned: Life's not fair. SPECIALLY with underpaid teachers designing the exams. Hmph.
I can't help but think if he ever would have solved those problems had he been taught first that they were unsolvable??
Schizo Person #1- "Look, there is an elephant in the room"
Schizo Person #2- "Shhh!!! There is no elephant"
Schizo Person #1- "But..."
Schizo Person #2- "No buts, you don't want them to think you're crazy"
Soon Schizo Person #1 stopps seeing the elephant. It really does not exists to him
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
hehe, I was thinking about applying the LP solving technique to these types of games but they made it difficult...For example, in warcraft 3, there are different types of armour and "attacks". So you have to choose which type of armoured and attack units to make. I am very certain that Blizzard looked at the linear space and made sure that the constraints in the system all had the same n-dimensional slope.
:)
A few years ago, I looked into it for night elves and that was the case for a few units.
Either way, if the game did have some inbalance, you *could* find it if you could be bothered
Can your karma go above being Excellent?
Well folks, I'm an accountant. You can have all the fun you want about having an accountant here, but that's the way it is. In Argentina, where I come from, that was the best way to land a management position in no time, which I'm still waiting for.
/.
All that aside, I love technology in all its forms, just in case.
Studying my 4th year, we've been teached LP, as a way to solve transport route problems, and minimum stock estimates, optimizing resources and stuff, in an assignment called "Operations Research".
I hope one of my fellow students will read this, but I really doubt an graduate from Facultad de Ciencias Economicas - Universidad Nacional de Cordoba would read
We always dreamed about finding the damn mf that invented the simplex method, but the net was far from being an accesible thing those days, so now that I find out about Dantzig, I'm kinda sad. There was a time when I would have cursed his family and chased him if he was within reach, but now I pay him honors, as one of many bright minds that go by unnoticed for students and developing minds all over the world.
My respect
I just read
Another thing I'll remember him for is his interesting exercise in urban design Compact City
cheers-raga
Pardon my nerdiness, but...
>Meaning of life=42, Question=???
In the fourth book, they devise a method of approximating what the Question was. What they come up with was "What do you get when you multiply six by nine".
Now, while 6 * 9 = 42 (in base 13), they make a point of mentioning how this method will only approximate the true Question.
The true Question is, of course, "What do you get when you multiply six by seven" and is mentioned by Arthur several books earlier. He immediately dismisses it as too obvious, overlooking the fact that he is from Earth, the planet/computer designed to come up with the Question. Earthlings' brains work different from other sentient beings, which is also why they can name a place "Belgium" without blushing, and why they are not so adversely affected by Vogon poetry.
Some could even argue that Earthlings can know both the Question and the Answer simultaneously without going insane, but those people are idiots who haven't been paying attention.
Don't put advice in your sig.
I remember taking my required Probablistic Models in Operations Research course back in 2003. I wasnt doing too well in the class and miserably failed my first test. The second half the semester was spent on the simplex method. I remember the class before the test our professor, rather than reviewing decided to mention the names of some prominent Mathematicians. George Dantzing was one of them. How I despised him at the time for nearly ruining my academic life! I would always screw up some thing while trying to do the simplex method. The pivot tables etc. Just too much to keep track of in my head I suppose. I studied my ass off to learn the simplex method. One hour before the exam, I had figured it out. I was so happy that I went searching for a program for my ti89 calculator to check my answers. Low and behold victory was mine!! I will never forget that day cause I strugged so much to learn the simplex. Only later did I realize the significance of what this man had done. RIP
...if you had a unique goal function and linear equations perhaps. First of all, you are playing against an opponent, so the optimal strategy will depend on his strategy. If they have done this well, there should be a "scissors-paper-rock" balance with no dominant strategy. Secondly, the strength of a battle group is not linear (that is why you have a certain mix of heavy fortifications, long-range artillery, light troopers etc etc). It's not like you can describe it as A*x1+B*x2+C*x3.... = strength, because any one troop type alone would probably be wiped out quickly (unless you have a dominant type, which would make the game rather silly).
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Does anybody see anything wrong with this picture? Died on May 13th... Today's date: May 23rd
To me it seems as though there was a 10 day delay. Did it take that long to realize who this guy was?
What I find interesting is that his father Tobias Dantzig. Ol' Tobias was a Russian mathematician, was a student of Henri Poincaré at the Sorbonne and the author of NUMBER: The Language of Science.
As a physics major, and grad student I bumped into a couple of three fellow students in physics that were down right scary. In all three instances they came from academic families and had *very* strong backgrounds in the subject.
One of these guys had a dad who was a professor of physics, and a mother who was a professor of mathematics. This dude graduated college Summa Cum Laude (he had a 4.0) in three years with a double major in physics and math. He was a really nice guy, quite athletic, and ---drum roll please-- dated regularly.
One seriously scary dude...
One day I said something to one of my physics profs about the dude and my prof told me about his background. My prof who was 'grand old man' of the department point out that having a background such as this fellow had put him at *great* advantage with respect to other students.
My prof was not putting the fellow down. He's point was the the fellow was without question quite gifted, but those gifts would not have been realized without his background.
"Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex, I could pinch them." --Marvin the Martian
Reminds me of a story a friend of mine who attended MIT with me in the late 70s early 80s once told me. My friend's grandparents were Eastern European Jews, who emigrated to the UK in the 30s, and in the 60s to the US, finally settling in Florida.
One day he called his grandmother to see how she was getting on. She mentioned that she couldn't talk long because she was having Mr. Dirac over for tea.
"Oh," he says without thinking, "like Dirac Delta function."
"Yes," said his grandmother, "Paul's wife Margit is visiting, would you like to talk to her?"
"NOOOO!!!"
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I remember his Masters' Thesis defense well. At one point he made an assertion and proceeded to use it as the basis for a greater proof. He was interrupted by one of his examiners, who noted something to the effect that he hadn't mentioned that his proof was conditional on the "blah" conjecture having been proved.
He stopped, looked somewhat confused, and then a look of understanding and pride swept across his face. In his halting English he responded, "No. Wait. I prove. Last week. I have preprint of paper. Want see?" (Yes, he did, and it turned out to be correct).
As I recall, there were two more such incidents during his defense, which lasted about two hours.
Needless to say, his thesis was accepted as submitted (which is rare: most Masters' thesis are accept "with minor modification" (as in, someone found a typo, or an uncited reference)). What's ironic is that he'd effectively had enough material for three PhDs in that Masters thesis.
He went on to a doctorate, and possibly a post-doc in Mathematics.
What's really scary is that he claimed to have an older brother who was much smarter than he was.
You could've hired me.