Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 April 2009
In recent years there has been extensive development in the theory and techniques of mathematical programming in finite spaces. It would be very useful in practice to extend this development to infinite spaces, in order to treat more realistically the problems that arise for example in economic situations involving infinitely divisible processes, and in particular problems involving time as a continuous variable. A more mathematical reason for seeking such generalisation is possibly that of obtaining a unification mathematical programming with other branches of mathematics concerned with extrema, such as the calculus of variations.