Linear and Integer Programming vs Linear Integration and Counting

Integer programming (IP) is a fascinating topic. Indeed, while linear programming (LP), its c- tinuous analogue, is well understood and extremely ef?cient LP software packages exist, solving an integer program can remain a formidable challenge, even for some small size problems. For instance, the following small (5-variable) IP problem (called the unbounded knapsack problem) min{213x?1928x?11111x?2345x +9123x} 1 2 3 4 5 s.t. 12223x +12224x +36674x +61119x +85569x = 89643482, 1 2 3 4 5 x ,x ,x ,x ,x?N, 1 2 3 4 5 taken from a list of dif?cult knapsack problems in Aardal and Lenstra [2], is not solved even by hours of computing, using for instance the last version of the ef?cient software package CPLEX. However,thisisnotabookonintegerprogramming,asverygoodonesonthistopicalreadyexist. For standard references on the theory and practice of integer programming, the interested reader is referred to, e.g., Nemhauser and Wolsey [113], Schrijver [121], Wolsey [136], and the more recent Bertsimas and Weismantel [21]. On the other hand, this book could provide a complement to the above books as it develops a rather unusual viewpoint.

From the reviews:“Lasserre has produced a fascinating slim … monograph (much of the work his own) looking at the parallels between linear (respectively integer) programming on the one hand and integration (respectively integer counting) problems on the other hand. … An appendix on various transforms a hundred references and a brief index complete the work which is a welcome addition to an important set of topics.” (J. Borwein, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2010 f)“This book is devoted to analysing four important problems: integer programming problem, linear programming problem, linear integration problem, and linear counting problem. … a very specialized book on the integer programming problem and its dual variants. … can be very helpful for researchers working in developing algorithms for the integer programming problem which is a formidable challenging problem. This is a clear and well-written book … .” (E. Almehdawe, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 61 (12), 2010)