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Variable Metric Method for Minimization

Authors: William C. Davidon

Published: 1991 (Journal Paper)

Source: SIAM Journal on Optimization

Algorithm: DFP

DOI: 10.1137/0801001

Summary

The foundational Davidon-Fletcher-Powell (DFP) quasi-Newton method, originally circulated as an Argonne National Laboratory technical report in 1959 and published formally in SIAM Journal on Optimization in 1991. DFP was the first practical quasi-Newton update formula, building a positive-definite Hessian approximation from gradient differences; it was later superseded by the closely related BFGS update.

Abstract

This is a method for determining numerically local minima of differentiable functions of several variables. In the process of locating each minimum, a matrix which characterizes the behavior of the function about the minimum is determined.

Tags

  • Quasi-Newton methods

  • DFP

  • Optimization

  • Variable metric

  • Unconstrained optimization

  • Numerical optimization