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Continuous optimization is a branch of optimization in applied mathematics.<ref name="JeyakumarRubinov2006">Template:Cite book</ref>
As opposed to discrete optimization, the variables used in the objective function are required to be continuous variables—that is, to be chosen from a set of real values between which there are no gaps (values from intervals of the real line). Because of this continuity assumption, continuous optimization allows the use of calculus techniques.