päätösmuuttujaksi

Päätösmuuttuja is a Finnish term that translates to "decision variable" in English. It is a fundamental concept in mathematical optimization and operations research. Decision variables represent the quantities or choices that a decision-maker can control in order to achieve a specific objective.

In an optimization problem, the goal is to find the optimal values for these decision variables. These variables are often subject to certain constraints, which are limitations or restrictions on their possible values. The objective function, which the decision-maker aims to minimize or maximize, is expressed in terms of these decision variables. For example, in a production planning problem, decision variables might represent the number of units of different products to manufacture. The objective could be to maximize profit, and constraints might include available resources like labor or raw materials.

The nature of decision variables can vary greatly depending on the problem. They can be continuous (e.g., a quantity of a chemical to produce), discrete (e.g., the number of machines to install), or binary (e.g., whether to undertake a project or not). The type of decision variable significantly influences the mathematical techniques used to solve the optimization problem. Identifying and defining the correct decision variables is a crucial first step in formulating any optimization model.