A variable that can take on any value, as contrasted to a variable that must take on nonnegative values. In a linear-programming problem, a variable that is free can be expressed as the difference between two nonnegative variables. However, when using the simplex method to solve a linear-programming problem with free variables, it is more effective to eliminate those variables by means of constraints in which they appear. Unrestricted variable.
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© 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Gass, S.I., Harris, C.M. (2001). Free variable . In: Gass, S.I., Harris, C.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Management Science. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-0611-X_367
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-0611-X_367
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