# Continuous optimization

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{{Short description|Branch of optimization in applied mathematics}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2014}}

'''Continuous optimization''' is a branch of [optimization](/source/Optimization_(mathematics)) in [applied mathematics](/source/applied_mathematics).<ref name="JeyakumarRubinov2006">{{cite book|author1=V. Jeyakumar|author2=Alexander M. Rubinov|title=Continuous Optimization: Current Trends and Modern Applications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QePsbLIwwEoC&q=%22Continuous+optimization%22|date=9 March 2006|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-387-26771-5}}</ref>

As opposed to [discrete optimization](/source/discrete_optimization), the [variables](/source/Variable_(mathematics)) used in the [objective function](/source/objective_function) are required to be [continuous variable](/source/continuous_variable)s&mdash;that is, to be chosen from a set of [real](/source/real_number) values between which there are no gaps (values from [interval](/source/Interval_(mathematics))s of the [real line](/source/real_line)). Because of this [continuity](/source/continuity_(mathematics)) assumption, continuous optimization allows the use of [calculus](/source/calculus) techniques.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Mathematical optimization

{{Mathapplied-stub}}

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