Operations research is a rapidly developing field of science, based on the application of modern sections of mathematics and closely related to cybernetics, the theory of automatic control, economics and a number of other sciences. The purpose of operations research is to obtain optimal solutions to problems that arise in the process of functioning or creating complex systems that include people and machines. The book, which is a recognized classical work on the study of operations, discusses the methodological foundations, typical mathematical models and principles of practical implementation of the results of operational research. Without involving unnecessarily complex mathematical apparatus, but without compromising the rigor and depth of presentation, the authors give a good idea of the range of operational problems and methods for solving them, paying special attention to the issues of problem setting. The book is designed for mathematicians, cyberneticists, economists, engineers, as well as managers working in various sectors of the national economy.