ILOG CPLEX 11.0 User's Manual > Discrete Optimization > Using Piecewise Linear Functions in Optimization: a Transport Example > Piecewise Linearity in ILOG CPLEX

Some problems are most naturally represented by constraints over functions that are not purely linear but consist of linear segments. Such functions are also known as piecewise linear. In this chapter, a transportation example shows you various ways of stating and solving problems that lend themselves to a piecewise linear model. Before plunging into the problem itself, this section defines a few terms appearing in this discussion.