Skip to main content
Log in

The complementarity problem

  • Published:
Mathematical Programming Submit manuscript

Abstract

For a given mapF from then-dimensional Euclidean spaceE n into itself, we consider the problem of finding a nonnegative vectorx inE n whose imageF(x) is also nonnegative and such that the two vectors are orthogonal. This problem is refered to in the literature as thecomplemcntarity problcm. The importance of the complementarity problem lies in the fact that it is the unifying mathematical form for a wide range of problems arising in different fields such as mathematical programming, game theory, economics, mechanics, etc ⋯

This paper is concerned mainly with the question of the existence of a solution. Several existence theorems are given under various conditions on the mapF. These theorems cover the cases whenF is nonlinear nondifferentiable, nonlinear but differentiable, and affine.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. R.W. Cottle, “On a problem in linear inequalities,”Journal of the London Mathematical Society 43, 378–384.

  2. R.W. Cottle, “Nonlinear programs with positively bounded Jacobians,”SIAM Journal of Applied Math. 14, No. 1 (1966) 147–158.

    Google Scholar 

  3. R.W. Cottie and G.B. Dantzig. “Complementary Pivot theory of mathematical programming,”Linear Algebra and its Applications, 1 (1968) pp. 103–125.

    Google Scholar 

  4. R.W. Cottle and G.B. Dantzig, “A generalization of the linear complementarity problem,”Journal of Combinatorial Theory (1969).

  5. R.W. Cottle, A.J. Habetler and C.E. Lemke, “On classes of copositive matrices,”Linear Algebra and its Applications, to appear.

  6. R.W. Cottle, G.J. Habetler and C.E. Lemke, “Quadratic forms semidefinite over convex cones,” In:Sixth International Mathematical Programming Symposium. Princeton, 1967 (Princeton University Press, 1971).

  7. G.B. Dantzig and R.W. Cottle, “Positive (semi) definite programming,” In:Nonlinear programming, Ed. J. Abadie (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1967). pp. 55–73.

    Google Scholar 

  8. P. DuVal, “The unloading problem for plane curves,”American Journal of Mathematics, 62 (1940) 307–317.

    Google Scholar 

  9. B.C. Eaves, “The linear complementarity problem in mathematical programming,” Tech. Report No. 69-4, July 1969, O.R. House, Stanford University.

  10. M. Fiedler and V. Ptak, “Some generalizations of positive definiteness and monotonicity,”Numerische Mathematik 9 (1962) 163–172.

    Google Scholar 

  11. V.M. Fridman and V.S. Chernina, “An iteration process for the solution of the finitedimensional contact problem,”U.S.S.R. Computational Math. and Math. Physics 7, No. 1 (1967) 210–214.

    Google Scholar 

  12. P. Hartman and G. Stampacchia, “On some nonlinear differential-functional equations,”Acta Math. 115 (1966) 271–310.

    Google Scholar 

  13. D. Gale and H. Nikaido, “The Jacobian matrix and global univalence of mappings,”Mathematische Annalen 159 (1965) 81–93.

    Google Scholar 

  14. A.W. Ingleton, “A problem in linear inequalities,”Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, Third Series, 16 (1966) 519–536.

    Google Scholar 

  15. S. Kakutani, “A generalization of Brouwer's fixed point theorem,”Duke Math. Journal 8 (1941) 457–459.

    Google Scholar 

  16. S. Karamardian, “Duality in mathematical programming,” ORC 66-2, January 1966. University of California, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  17. S. Karamardian, “Existence of solutions of certain systems of nonlinear inequalities,”Numerische Mathematik 12 (1968) 327–334.

    Google Scholar 

  18. S. Karamardian, “The nonlinear complementarity problem with applications, Part I.”Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 4, No. 2 (1969) 87–98.

    Google Scholar 

  19. S. Karamardian, “The nonlinear complementarity problem with applications, Part II”Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 4, No. 3 (1969) 167 181.

    Google Scholar 

  20. C.E. Lemke, “On complementary Pivot theory,”Math. of the Decision Sciences, American Mathematical Society, Eds. G.B. Dantzig and A.F. Veinott, Jr., (1968).

  21. C.E. Lemke, “Bimatrix equilibrium points and mathematical programming,”Management Science 11 (1965) 681–689.

    Google Scholar 

  22. C.E. Lemke and J.T. Howson, Jr., “Equilibrium points of bimatrix games,”SIAM Journal 12, No. 2 (1964) 413–423.

    Google Scholar 

  23. J.L. Lions and G. Stampacchia, “Variational inequalities,”Communications on Pure and Applied Math, 20, No. 3 (1967) 493–519.

    Google Scholar 

  24. K.G. Murty, “On the number of solutions to the complementarity problem and spanning properties of complementary cones,” To appear in theJournal of Linear Algebra and its Applications.

  25. H. Samelson, R.M. Thrall and O. Wesler, “A partition theorem for Euclideann-space,”AMS Proceedings 9 (1958) 805–807.

    Google Scholar 

  26. H. Scarf, “An algorithm for a class of nonconvex programming problems,” Cowles foundations discussion paper, No. 211, Yale University (July 1966).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Karamardian, S. The complementarity problem. Mathematical Programming 2, 107–129 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01584538

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01584538

Keywords