On the Method of Shortest Residuals for Unconstrained Optimization

The paper discusses several versions of the method of shortest residuals, a specific variant of the conjugate gradient algorithm, first introduced by Lemaréchal and Wolfe and discussed by Hestenes in a quadratic case. In the paper we analyze the global convergence of the versions considered. Numerical comparison of these versions of the method of shortest residuals and an implementation of a standard Polak–Ribière conjugate gradient algorithm is also provided. It supports the claim that the method of shortest residuals is a viable technique, competitive to other conjugate gradient algorithms.