The application of optimization theory to engineering provides a design tool of quite extraordinary power; it offers the prospect of solutions to problems for which no formal design methods exist. The book is principally aimed at degree-level (or equivalent) students of electronic engineering, but will also be a starting point for the practising professional engineer, or manager, who has not yet had experience in this fascinating, and very different, way of approaching electronic systems design. Examples relevant to electronics are used throughout to illustrate key points, and the final chapter is wholly devoted to the description of a number of important application areas within electronic engineering. These case studies illustrate the particular applications treated but also give insight into how an optimization-based design scheme should be put together more generally. Some problems accompany the early chapters where they can provide the reader with the opportunity to explore the material presented. The later chapters, dealing with more advanced techniques and the application case-studies, have not been provided with problems since we at this point have moved away from the basic introduction of methods and background theory.