Operations research

Operations research, operational research, or simply OR, is the use of mathematical models, statistics and algorithms to aid in decision-making. It is most often used to analyze complex real-world systems, typically with the goal of improving or optimizing performance. It is one form of applied mathematics.

Origins and the name

Although foundations were laid earlier, the field of operations research as we know it arose during World War II, as military planners in the United Kingdom (including Frederick Lanchester, Patrick Blackett and Frank Yates) and in the United States looked for ways to make better decisions in such areas as logistics and training schedules. After the war it began to be applied to similar problems in industry.

Related Topics:
World War II - United Kingdom - Frederick Lanchester - Patrick Blackett - Frank Yates - United States - Logistics - Industry

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It is known as "operational research" in the United Kingdom ("operational analysis" within the UK military and Ministry of Defence, where OR stands for "operational requirements") and as "operations research" in most other English-speaking countries, though OR is a common abbreviation everywhere. The name is somewhat unfortunate, since OR is no longer concerned only with operations, nor does its application involve any research in the traditional sense (though OR research is still carried out to find new or better techniques).

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