Optimization with Excel Solver

Microsoft Excel solver is a powerful add-on tool to solve and analyze optimization problems. Optimization deals with selecting the best option among a number of possible choices that are feasible or don't violate constraints. Solver can be used to adjust parameters in a model to best fit data, increase profitability of a potential engineering design, or meet some other type of objective that can be described mathematically in a spreadsheet.

This example problem is from the Hock-Schittkowski benchmark test suite. This tutorial can also be completed with nonlinear programming optimizers that are available with the MATLAB optimization toolbox and the Python optimization packages in APMonitor. Click on the appropriate link for additional information and source code.