Pattern search (optimization)

Pattern search (also known as direct search, derivative-free search, or black-box search) is a family of numerical optimization methods that does not require a gradient. As a result, it can be used on functions that are not continuous or differentiable. One such pattern search method is "convergence" (see below), which is based on the theory of positive bases. Optimization attempts to find the best match (the solution that has the lowest error value) in a multidimensional analysis space of possibilities.