Operational Research

DEFINITION AND USE IN WAR THE term Operational research' came into prominence during the War to describe what to the Services was a new type of thinking process used to arrive at answers to questions arising out of the operations of war. This thinking process has, however, already to some extent been used in industry under other names. It has been applied to market problems, cost accounting, quality control and works efficiency; in other words, to the operations of industry1. It has also been applied to agriculture and medicine. Its successful application during the War is already stimulating and extending its peace-time application.