EE236C - Optimization Methods for Large-Scale Systems (Spring 2011-12)

Lectures notes

  1. Gradient method

  2. Quasi-Newton methods

  3. Conjugate gradient method

  4. Subgradients

  5. Subgradient method

  6. Proximal gradient method

  7. Fast proximal gradient methods

  8. The proximal mapping

  9. Proximal mapping via network optimization

  10. Cutting-plane methods

  11. Analytic center cutting-plane method

  12. Ellipsoid method

  13. Dual decomposition

  14. Dual proximal gradient method

  15. Multiplier methods

  16. Conic optimization

  17. Barrier functions

  18. Path-following methods

  19. Symmetric cones

  20. Primal-dual interior-point methods

Additional lectures (from previous editions of the course)

Homework

Homework solutions and grades are posted on the EEweb course website. (Follow the links to “Assignments” or “Grades”.)

Course information

Lectures: Geology 6704. Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 PM-1:50 PM.

Description. The course continues EE236B and covers several advanced and current topics in optimization, with an emphasis on large-scale algorithms for convex optimization. The following subjects will be discussed.

  1. First-order methods for large-scale optimization: gradient and subgradient method, conjugate gradient method, proximal gradient method, accelerated gradient methods.

  2. Dual methods: dual decomposition, augmented Lagrangian method, alternating direction method of multipliers.

  3. Interior-point algorithms for conic optimization.

Textbook and lecture notes. The lecture notes will be posted on this website. The material is largely based on the following books, and on the notes of the course EE364b (Convex Optimization II) at Stanford University.

Course requirements. Several homework assignments and a project.

Grading. Approximate weights in the final grade: homework 30%, project 70%.