What is degeneracy?

As you know, the simplex algorithm starts at a corner point and moves
to an adjacent corner point by increasing the value of a non-basic
variable xswith a negative value in the z-row (objective function).

Typically, the entering variable xs
does increase in value, and the objective value z improves. But it possible that that
xs does not increase at all. It will happen when one of the RHS coefficients is 0

. In this case, the objective value and solution does not change, but
there is an exiting variable. This situation is called degeneracy.

Degeneracy is important because we want the simplex method to be
finite, and the generic simplex method is not finite if bases are
permitted to be degenerate.

In principle, cycling can occur if there is degeneracy. In practice,
cycling does not arise, but no one really knows why not. Perhaps it
does occur, but people assume that the simplex algorithm is just
taking too long for some other reason, and they never discover the
cycling.

Researchers have developed several different approaches to ensure
the finiteness of the simplex method, even if the bases can be
degenerate. One such method is called the perturbation approach.
The perturbation approach (in the form described here) is not
practical, but it serves its purpose. It does give a way of doing
simplex pivoting that is guaranteed to be finite.


Bounded Region
A feasible region that can be enclosed in a circle. A bounded region will
have both a maximum and minimum values.

Unbounded Region
A feasible region that can not be enclosed in a circle
Linear programming is a method that is used to find a minimum or maximum
value for a function. That value is going to satisfy a known set of
conditions constraints. Constraints are the inequalities in the linear programming
problem. Their solution is graphed as a feasible region, which is a set of points.
These points are where the graphs of the inequalities intersect. And, the region is
said to be bounded when the graph of a system of constraints is a polygonal region.