Here is a hands-on treatment of the subject of optimization, recommended for use by industry professionals, scientists, and students interested in optimization algorithms and their various applications. It is a timely work, as advancements in the efficiency of digital computers and the evolution of reliable software for numerical computation during the past three decades have led to a rapid growth in the theory, methods, and algorithms of numerical optimization. A comprehensive set of problems and exercises makes the book suitable for use in one or two semesters of a first-year graduate course or an advanced undergraduate course. Each half of the book contains a full semester's worth of complementary yet stand-alone material. The practical orientation of the topics chosen and a wealth of useful examples also make the book suitable for practitioners in the field.