ECE 490

 Introduction to Optimization

Spring 2009

Class Time and Location

11:30-12:50 Tue and Thu

Mechanical Engineering Building room 335

 

Notice: No class on Tue, Feb 10.

Make-up lecture on Tuesday, Feb 24, from 5-6:15pm in MEB335

 

 

Instructor

Prof. P. R. Kumar

Phone: 333-7476                Email:

Office Hours: Mon 9-10am at CSL 149

 

Teaching Assistants

Tan Yan

Phone: 244-6684           Email:

Office Hours: Mon 11am-12pm and Fri 2pm-3pm at CSL 408

 

 

Nicolas Loeff

Email: 

Office Hours: Tue 2pm-3pm and Thu 4pm-5pm at Siebel 3307
NOTE: Nicolas will not hold office hours on Thu Apr 23

 

 

Lecture Notes

The main study material is the lecture notes. We won’t publish the lecture notes online. So it is important that you attend the lectures and take notes yourselves.   

 

Required Textbook

“Nonlinear Programming, 2nd ed” by Dimitri P. Bertsekas

 

Homework

Homework will be assigned on a weekly base and are distributed, submitted for grading and returned to students on class. If you do not pick up the HW assignment in class when it was distributed, then it can be picked up from Prof. Kumar's secretary, Jana Lenz, in Room 153 CSL. Her phone number is 244-1654. Similarly if you did not pick up your graded homework assignment when HWs were returned in class, then it can be picked up from Jana.

 

Since we have to grade the homework within one week, we don’t allow late homework submission. Once the homework is returned to you, you have one week to appeal for any grading error. You should contact the TA if you find any mistake in the grading within one week. No appeal is accepted after one week.

 

Homework writing:

It is preferred that you type or print your homework. Handwriting homework is accepted but you have to write it clearly. If your writing is illegible to the TA, you won’t be credited.

 

Homework 1 has been distributed Jan.22 in class. It will be due Thu, Jan. 29 in class.

 

Homework 2 has been distributed Jan.29 in class. It will be due Thu, Feb. 5 in class.

For Simplex method, do not start your answer with a tableau. You need to show what operation you took to turn an LP problem into initial tableau. For example, how you add slack variables to turn ≤ into =.

 

 

Exams

There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. More details will be announced at the appropriate time.

 

Grading

50% homework + 25% Midterm + 25% Final

 

For students taking the course for 4 credits (rather than 3 credits), there will be an additional report that they will have to write based on a reading. Details will be announced in the second half of the course. This report will count for one quarter of the grade.

 

Class Absences and Makeup classes

When classes are cancelled due to instructor travel or other reason, they will be made up on Tuesdays 5:10-6:30pm or 5-6:20pm. The makeup date and room location for a particular class will be announced at the appropriate time.