This course provides a structured introduction to optimization problems in mathematics and computer science. It begins with basic terminology (decision variables, objective function, constraints, feasible solutions, global/local optima) and then classifies optimization problems based on the nature of the search space (continuous vs. discrete).
The course places special emphasis on combinatorial optimization, where the search space is finite and countable. It presents practical applications (network design, scheduling, route calculation, resource allocation, portfolio management).