Book excerpt: This comprehensive study of dynamic programming applied to numerical solution of optimization problems. It will interest aerodynamic, control, and industrial engineers, numerical analysts, and computer specialists, applied mathematicians, economists, and operations and systems analysts. Originally published in 1962. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.