Appropriate military strength that is cost-efficient is an optimal position.

ECONOMIST: A helping hand

Statutory rates were too high, and deductions and exemptions too many, to make either tax collections efficient or economic activity optimal.

FORBES: Tim Geithner Meekly Phones In Tax Reform

Others argue that in a system that has an income tax, the estate tax will always be less efficient than setting the income tax at optimal rates.

ECONOMIST: Death and taxes

The mathematical sciences prize was awarded to David L. Donoho for his "contributions to modern mathematical statistics and in particular the development of optimal algorithms for statistical estimation in the presence of noise and of efficient techniques for sparse representation and recovery in large data-sets, " the committee said.

WSJ: Six U.S.-Born Scientists Win Asian Prize