Inductive Proof of the Simplex Method

Instead of the customary proof of the existence of an optimal basis in the simplex method based on perturbation of the constant terms, this paper gives a new proof based on induction. From a pedagogical point of view it permits an earlier and more elementary proof of the fundamental duality theorem via the simplex method. Specifically we shall show that there exists a finite chain of feasible basis changes, which results in either an optimal feasible solution or in an infinite class of feasible solutions, such that the objective form tends to minus infinity.