The Economics and Financial Education Program

    The Fundamentals of Linear Programming Linear programming (LP) is a mathematical method used for finding the optimal solution to a problem that can be expressed with linear relationships. Here are some of the fundamental concepts of LP: Objective Function This is the function that needs to be maximized or minimized. For example, a bank may want to maximize profit or minimize costs. Decision Variables These are the variables that affect the outcome of the LP problem. In a banking context, these could be amounts of money allocated to different investments. Constraints These are the restrictions or limitations on the decision variables. They are usually expressed in the form of linear inequalities or equations. For banks, constraints could include investment limits, risk exposure limits, or capital requirements. Feasible Region This is the set of all possible points that satisfy the constraints. In LP, it's often represented as a convex polytope. Basic Solution A solution to ...