Päätösmuuttujille

Päätösmuuttujille is a Finnish term that translates to "decision variables" in English. In the context of optimization problems, decision variables are the unknowns that a decision-maker can control or change to achieve a desired outcome. These variables represent the choices that need to be made. For example, in a production planning problem, decision variables might represent the quantity of each product to manufacture. In a financial investment scenario, they could represent the amount of money allocated to different assets.

The goal of an optimization problem is to find the values of these decision variables that minimize or maximize an objective function, subject to a set of constraints. The objective function quantifies the performance measure, such as cost, profit, or time. Constraints are limitations or restrictions that must be satisfied, representing factors like resource availability, demand, or regulatory requirements. Identifying and defining the appropriate decision variables is a crucial first step in formulating and solving any optimization problem. The nature of these variables can vary; they can be continuous (e.g., any real number within a range), discrete (e.g., only integers), or binary (e.g., 0 or 1, representing a yes/no decision). Understanding the type of decision variable is essential for selecting the correct optimization techniques.