ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS)
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We present a survey on the results related to the theory of lexicographic differentiation. This theory ensures an efficient computation of generalized (lexicographic) derivative of a nonsmooth function belonging to a special class of lexicographically smooth functions. This class is a linear space which contains all differentiable functions, all convex functions, and which is closed with respect to component-wise composition of the members. In order to define lexicographic derivative in a unique way, it is enough to fix a basis in the space of variables. Lexicographic derivatives can be used in black-box optimization methods. We give some examples of applications of these derivatives in analysis of nonsmooth functions. It is shown that the system of lexicographic derivatives along a fixed basis correctly represents corresponding nonsmooth function (Newton-Leibnitz formula). We present nonsmooth versions of standard theorems on potentiality of nonlinear operators, on differentiation of parametric integrals and on differentiation of functional sequences. Finally, we show that an appropriately defined lexicographic subdifferential ensures a more rigorous selection of a candidate optimal solution than the subdifferential of Clarke.