objektfunktsioon

An objektfunktsioon, often translated as objective function, is a core concept in optimization and mathematical programming. It represents the quantity that a decision-maker aims to maximize or minimize. For instance, in a business context, the objektfunktsioon might be profit, which a company seeks to maximize, or cost, which it aims to minimize. In engineering, it could be the efficiency of a process or the structural integrity of a design.

The objektfunktsioon is typically expressed as a mathematical expression involving one or more variables. These variables represent the decisions or parameters that can be adjusted to influence the value of the objektfunktsioon. For example, if a company is deciding how much of two products to manufacture, the number of units of each product would be the variables in the objektfunktsioon representing total profit.

Optimization problems involve finding the values of these variables that yield the optimal (maximum or minimum) value of the objektfunktsioon, subject to a set of constraints. These constraints define the feasible region, representing the limitations or conditions that must be satisfied. The choice of objektfunktsioon is crucial as it dictates the goal of the optimization process and guides the search for the best solution. Different objektfunktsioon definitions will lead to different optimal outcomes even for the same set of constraints.