This article picks up from Non-Linear Optimization using Extensions to LP and continues an exploration of what can be achieved using extensions to Linear Programming.
An anion is an ionic species having a negative charge. They are atoms that have gained electrons. Anions are one of the two types of ions. The other type is called a cation. Anions are attracted to the anode, while cations are attracted to the cathode. The concept of an anion is important in the corrosion industry because certain anions facilitate corrosion.
Positively charged atoms or molecules are called cations and negatively charged atoms or molecules are called anions. Thus cations and anions attract one another. Conversely, cations repel one another as do anions. Electrostatic attraction is indiscriminate. That is a cation can attract more than one anion and visa versa. The result is that cation-anions attractions form a large array that we call an ionic compound or salt.