Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

True / False

1. Whenever total supply is less than total demand in a transportation problem, the LP model does not determine how the
unsatisfied demand is handled.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

2. Converting a transportation problem LP from cost minimization to profit maximization requires only changing the
objective function; the conversion does not affect the constraints.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

3. A transportation problem with 3 sources and 4 destinations will have 7 decision variables.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

4. If a transportation problem has four origins and five destinations, the LP formulation of the problem will have nine
constraints.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

5. The capacitated transportation problem includes constraints which reflect limited capacity on a route.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

6. When the number of agents exceeds the number of tasks in an assignment problem, one or more dummy tasks must be
introduced in the LP formulation or else the LP will not have a feasible solution.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
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TOPICS: Assignment problem

7. A transshipment constraint must contain a variable for every arc entering or leaving the node.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment
problem

8. The shortest-route problem is a special case of the transshipment problem.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

9. Transshipment problem allows shipments both in and out of some nodes while transportation problems do not.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation and transshipment problems

10. A dummy origin in a transportation problem is used when supply exceeds demand.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

11. When a route in a transportation problem is unacceptable, the corresponding variable can be removed from the LP
formulation.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

12. In the LP formulation of a maximal flow problem, a conservation-of-flow constraint ensures that an arc's flow
capacity is not exceeded.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

13. The maximal flow problem can be formulated as a capacitated transshipment problem.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

14. The direction of flow in the shortest-route problem is always out of the origin node and into the destination node.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

15. A transshipment problem is a generalization of the transportation problem in which certain nodes are neither supply
nodes nor destination nodes.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment
problem

16. The assignment problem is a special case of the transportation problem in which all supply and demand values equal
one.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

17. A transportation problem with 3 sources and 4 destinations will have 7 variables in the objective function.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

18. Flow in a transportation network is limited to one direction.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
19. In a transportation problem with total supply equal to total demand, if there are four origins and seven destinations,
and there is a unique optimal solution, the optimal solution will utilize 11 shipping routes.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

20. In the general assignment problem, one agent can be assigned to several tasks.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

21. In a capacitated transshipment problem, some or all of the transfer points are subject to capacity restrictions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment
problem

Multiple Choice

22. The problem which deals with the distribution of goods from several sources to several destinations is the
a. maximal flow problem
b. transportation problem
c. assignment problem
d. shortest-route problem
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

23. The parts of a network that represent the origins are

a. the capacities
b. the flows
c. the nodes
d. the arcs
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

24. The objective of the transportation problem is to

a. identify one origin that can satisfy total demand at the destinations and at the same time minimize total
shipping cost.
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
b. minimize the number of origins used to satisfy total demand at the destinations.
c. minimize the number of shipments necessary to satisfy total demand at the destinations.
d. minimize the cost of shipping products from several origins to several destinations.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

25. The number of units shipped from origin i to destination j is represented by

a. xij.
b. xji.
c. cij.
d. cji.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

26. Which of the following is not true regarding the linear programming formulation of a transportation problem?
a. Costs appear only in the objective function.
b. The number of variables is (number of origins) x (number of destinations).
c. The number of constraints is (number of origins) x (number of
destinations).
d. The constraints' left-hand side coefficients are either 0 or 1.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

27. The difference between the transportation and assignment problems is that

a. total supply must equal total demand in the transportation problem
b. the number of origins must equal the number of destinations in the transportation
problem
c. each supply and demand value is 1 in the assignment problem
d. there are many differences between the transportation and assignment problems
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

28. In the general linear programming model of the assignment problem,

a. one agent can do parts of several tasks.
b. one task can be done by several agents.
c. each agent is assigned to its own best task.
d. one agent is assigned to one and only one task.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

29. The assignment problem is a special case of the

a. transportation problem.
b. transshipment problem.
c. maximal flow problem.
d. shortest-route problem.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

30. Which of the following is not true regarding an LP model of the assignment problem?
a. Costs appear in the objective function only.
b. All constraints are of the ≥ form.
c. All constraint left-hand side coefficient values are 1.
d. All decision variable values are either 0 or 1.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

31. The assignment problem constraint x31 + x32 + x33 + x34 ≤ 2 means

a. agent 3 can be assigned to 2 tasks.
b. agent 2 can be assigned to 3 tasks.
c. a mixture of agents 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be assigned to
tasks.
d. there is no feasible solution.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

32. Arcs in a transshipment problem

a. must connect every node to a transshipment node.
b. represent the cost of shipments.
c. indicate the direction of the flow.
d. All of the alternatives are correct.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment
problem

33. Constraints in a transshipment problem

a. correspond to arcs.
b. include a variable for every arc.
c. require the sum of the shipments out of an origin node to equal
supply.
d. All of the alternatives are correct.
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment
problem

34. In a transshipment problem, shipments

a. cannot occur between two origin nodes.
b. cannot occur between an origin node and a destination node.
c. cannot occur between a transshipment node and a destination
node.
d. can occur between any two nodes.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment
problem

35. Consider a shortest route problem in which a bank courier must travel between branches and the main operations
center. When represented with a network,
a. the branches are the arcs and the operations center is the node.
b. the branches are the nodes and the operations center is the source.
c. the branches and the operations center are all nodes and the streets are the
arcs.
d. the branches are the network and the operations center is the node.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

36. The shortest-route problem finds the shortest-route

a. from the source to the sink.
b. from the source to any other node.
c. from any node to any other node.
d. from any node to the sink.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

37. Consider a maximal flow problem in which vehicle traffic entering a city is routed among several routes before
eventually leaving the city. When represented with a network,
a. the nodes represent stoplights.
b. the arcs represent one way streets.
c. the nodes represent locations where speed limits change.
d. None of the alternatives is correct.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
38. We assume in the maximal flow problem that
a. the flow out of a node is equal to the flow into the node.
b. the source and sink nodes are at opposite ends of the network.
c. the number of arcs entering a node is equal to the number of arcs exiting the
node.
d. None of the alternatives is correct.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

39. If a transportation problem has four origins and five destinations, the LP formulation of the problem will have
a. 5 constraints
b. 9 constraints
c. 18 constraints
d. 20 constraints
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

40. Which of the following is not a characteristic of assignment problems?

a. costs appear in the objective function only
b. the RHS of all constraints is 1
c. the value of all decision variables is either 0 or 1
d. the signs of constraints are always <
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

41. The network flows into and out of demand nodes are what makes the production and inventory application modeled in
the textbook a
a. shortest-route model.
b. maximal flow model.
c. transportation model
d. transshipment model
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: A production and inventory application

Subjective Short Answer

42. Write the LP formulation for this transportation problem.

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

ANSWER:
Min 5X1A + 6X1B + 4X2A + 2X2B + 3X3A + 6X3B + 9X 4A + 7X4B

s.t. X1A + X1B ≤ 100

X2A + X2B ≤ 200
X3A + X3B ≤ 150
X4A + X4B ≤ 50
X1A + X2A + X3A + X4A = 250
X1B + X 2B + X3B + X4B = 250
       all Xij ≥ 0
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

43. Draw the network for this transportation problem.

Min 2XAX + 3XAY + 5XAZ+ 9XBX + 12XBY + 10XBZ

s.t. XAX + XAY + XAZ ≤ 500

X BX + XBY + XBZ ≤ 400
XAX + XBX            = 300
XAY + XBY            = 300
XAZ + XBZ             = 300
                        Xij ≥ 0
ANSWER:

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

44. Canning Transport is to move goods from three factories to three distribution centers. Information about the move is
given below. Give the network model and the linear programming model for this problem.
Source Supply Destination Demand
A 200 X 50
B 100 Y 125
C 150 Z 125

Shipping costs are:

Destination
Source X Y Z
A 3 2 5
B 9 10 --
C 5 6 4
(Source B cannot ship to destination Z)

ANSWER:

Min 3XAX + 2XAY + 5XAZ + 9XBX + 10XBY + 5XCX + 6XCY + 4XCZ

s.t. XAX + XAY + XAZ            ≤ 200

XBX + XBY                       ≤ 100

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

XCX + XCY + XCZ             ≤ 150

XDX + XDY + XDZ             ≤ 50
XAX + XBX + XCX + XDX = 250
X AY + XBY + XCY + XDY = 125
XAZ + XBZ + XCZ + XDZ   = 125
                                Xij ≥ 0
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

45. The following table shows the unit shipping cost between cities, the supply at each source city, and the demand at
each destination city. The Management Scientist solution is shown. Report the optimal solution.
Destination
Source Terre Haute Indianapolis Ft. Wayne South Bend Supply
St. Louis 8 6 12 9 100
Evansville 5 5 10 8 100
Bloomington 3 2 9 10 100
Demand 150 60 45 45

TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM
*****************************
OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZATION

SUMMARY OF ORIGIN SUPPLIES

********************************
ORIGIN SUPPLY
---------- -----------
1 100
2 100
3 100

SUMMARY OF DESTINATION DEMANDS

***************************************
DESTINATION DEMAND
------------------- -------------
1 150
2   60
3   45
4   45

SUMMARY OF UNIT COST OR REVENUE DATA

*********************************************
FROM TO DESTINATION
ORIGIN 1 2 3 4
---------- ----- ----- ----- -----
1 8 6 12   9
2 5 5 10   8
3 3 2   9 10

OPTIMAL TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULE

****************************************
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
SHIP
FROM TO DESTINATION
ORIGIN 1 2 3 4
---------- ----- ----- ----- -----
1     0 10 45 45
2 100   0   0   0
3   50 50   0   0

TOTAL TRANSPORTATION COST OR REVENUE IS 1755

ANSWER: Ship 10 from St. Louis to Indianapolis, 45 from St. Louis to Ft. Wayne, 45 from St. Louis to South Bend, 100
from Evansville to Terre Haute, 50 from Bloomington to Terre Haute, and 50 from Bloomington to
Indianapolis. The total cost is 1755.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

46. After some special presentations, the employees of the AV Center have to move projectors back to classrooms. The
table below indicates the buildings where the projectors are now (the sources), where they need to go (the destinations),
and a measure of the distance between sites.
Destination
Source Business Education Parsons Hall Holmstedt Hall Supply
Baker Hall 10 9 5 2 35
Tirey Hall 12 11 1 6 10
Arena 15 14 7 6 20
Demand 12 20 10 10

a.  If you were going to write this as a linear programming model, how many decision variables would there be, and how
many constraints would there be?
The solution to this problem is shown below. Use it to answer the questions b - e.
TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM
*****************************
OPTIMAL TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULE
****************************************
FROM TO DESTINATION
FROM
1 2 3 4
ORIGIN
------------------------- ------ ------ ------
1 12 20   0 3
2   0   0 10 0
3   0   0   0 7
TOTAL TRANSPORTATION COST OR REVENUE IS 358
NOTE: THE TOTAL SUPPLY EXCEEDS THE TOTAL DEMAND BY 13
ORIGIN EXCESS SUPPLY
---------- -----------------------
3 13
b.  How many projectors are moved from Baker to Business?
c.  How many projectors are moved from Tirey to Parsons?
d.  How many projectors are moved from the Arena to Education?
e.  Which site(s) has (have) projectors left?
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
ANSWER:
a. 12 decision variables, 7 constraints
b. 12
c. 10
d. 0
e. Arena
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

47. Show both the network and the linear programming formulation for this assignment problem.

Task
Person A B C D
1 9 5 4 2
2 12 6 3 5
3 11 6 5 7

ANSWER:

Let Xij = 1 if person i is assigned to job j

     = 0 otherwise

Min 9X1A + 5X1B + 4X1C + 2X1D

+ 12X2A + 6X2B + 3X2C + 5X2D
+ 11X3A + 6X3B + 5X3C + 7X3D

s.t. X1A + X1B + X1C + X1D ≤ 1

X2A + X2B + X2C + X2D ≤ 1
X 3A + X3B + X3C + X3D ≤ 1
X4A + X4B + X4C + X4D ≤ 1
X1A + X2A + X3A + X4A = 1
X1B + X2B + X3B + X4B = 1
X1C + X2C + X3C + X4C = 1
X1D + X2D + X3D + X4D = 1
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

48. Draw the network for this assignment problem.

Min 10x1A + 12x1B + 15x1C + 25x1D + 11x2A + 14x2B + 19x2C + 32x2D

+ 18x3A + 21x3B + 23x3C + 29x3D + 15x4A + 20x4B + 26x4C + 28x4D

s.t. x1A + x1B + x1C + x1D = 1

x2A + x2B + x2C + x2D = 1
x3A + x3B + x3C + x3D = 1
x4A + x4B + x4C + x4D = 1
x1A + x2A + x3A + x4A = 1
x1B + x 2B + x3B + x4B = 1
x1C + x 2C + x3C + x4C = 1
x1D + x2D + x3D + x4D = 1
ANSWER:

POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

49. A professor has been contacted by four not-for-profit agencies that are willing to work with student consulting teams.
The agencies need help with such things as budgeting, information systems, coordinating volunteers, and forecasting.
Although each of the four student teams could work with any of the agencies, the professor feels that there is a difference
in the amount of time it would take each group to solve each problem. The professor's estimate of the time, in days, is
given in the table below. Use the computer solution to see which team works with which project.
Projects
Team Budgeting Information Volunteers Forecasting
A 32 35 15 27
B 38 40 18 35
C 41 42 25 38
D 45 45 30 42
ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM
************************
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZATION

SUMMARY OF UNIT COST OR REVENUE DATA

*********************************************
TASK
AGENT 1 2 3 4
---------- ----- ----- ----- -----
1 32 35 15 27
2 38 40 18 35
3 41 42 25 38
4 45 45 30 42
OPTIMAL ASSIGNMENTS COST/REVENUE
************************ ***************
ASSIGN AGENT 3 TO TASK 1 41
ASSIGN AGENT 4 TO TASK 2 45
ASSIGN AGENT 2 TO TASK 3 18
ASSIGN AGENT 1 TO TASK 4 27
------------------------------------------- -----
TOTAL COST/REVENUE 131
ANSWER: Team A works with the forecast, Team B works with volunteers, Team C works with budgeting, and Team D
works with information. The total time is 131.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

50. Write the linear program for this transshipment problem.

ANSWER:
Min 3x16 + 2x14 + 3x15 + 5x24 + 6x25 + 2x32 + 8x 34 + 10x35 + 5x46 + 9x47 + 12x56 + 15x57

s.t. x16 + x14 + x35 ≤ 500

x24 + x25 − x23 ≤ 400
x32 + x34 + x35 ≤ 300
x46 + x47 − (x14 + x24 + x34) = 0
x56 + x57 − (x15 + x25 + x35) = 0
x16 + x46 + x56 = 600
x56 + x57 = 600

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment problem

51. Peaches are to be transported from three orchard regions to two canneries. Intermediate stops at a consolidation station
are possible.

Orchard Supply Station Cannery Capacity

Riverside 1200 Waterford Sanderson 2500
Sunny Slope 1500 Northside Millville 3000
Old Farm 2000

Shipment costs are shown in the table below. Where no cost is given, shipments are not possible. Where costs are shown,
shipments are possible in either direction. Draw the network model for this problem.

R SS OF W N S M
Riverside 1 5 3
Sunny Side 4 5
Old Farm 6 3
Waterford 2 2 4
Northside 5 9
Sanderson 2
Millville
ANSWER:

POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment problem

52. RVW (Restored Volkswagens) buys 15 used VW's at each of two car auctions each week held at different locations. It
then transports the cars to repair shops it contracts with. When they are restored to RVW's specifications, RVW sells 10
each to three different used car lots. There are various costs associated with the average purchase and transportation prices
from each auction to each repair shop. Also there are transportation costs from the repair shops to the used car lots. RVW
is concerned with minimizing its total cost given the costs in the table below.
a.  Given the costs below, draw a network representation for this problem.

Repair Shops Used Car Lots

S1 S2 L1 L2 L3
Auction 1 550 500             S1 250 300 500
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
Auction 2 600 450             S2 350 650 450
b.  Formulate this problem as a transshipment linear programming model.
ANSWER:

a.

b. Denote A1 as node 1, A2 as node 2, S1 as node 3, S2 as node 4,

L1 as node 5, L2 as node 6, and L3 as node 7

Min 50X13 + 500X14 + 600X23 + 450X24 + 250X35 + 300X36

+ 500X37 + 350X45 + 650X46 + 450X47

s.t. X13 + X14                           ≤ 15

X23 + X24                           ≤ 15
X13 + X23 − X35 − X36 − X37 = 0
X14 + X24 − X45 − X46 − X47 = 0
X35 + X45                           = 10
X36 + X46                           = 10
X37 + X4                             = 10
     Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment problem

53. Consider the network below. Formulate the LP for finding the shortest-route path from node 1 to node 7.

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
ANSWER:
Min 10X12 + 12X13 + 4X24 + 8X25 + 7X35 + 9X36 + 4X 42 + 3X45
+ 6X47 + 8X52 + 7X53 + 3X54 + 4X57 + 9X63 + 3X67

s.t.   X12 + X13                                           = 1

−X12 + X24 + X25 − X42 − X52            = 0
−X13 + X35 + X36 − X53 − X63            = 0
−X24 + X42 + X45 + X47 − X54            = 0
−X25 − X35 − X45 + X52 + X53 + X57  = 0
−X36 + X63 + X67                                 = 0
  X47 + X57 + X67                                 = 1
     Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

54. Consider the following shortest-route problem involving six cities with the distances given. Draw the network for this
problem and formulate the LP for finding the shortest distance from City 1 to City 6.
Path Distance
1 to 2 3
1 to 3 2
2 to 4 4
2 to 5 5
3 to 4 3
3 to 5 7
4 to 6 6
5 to 6 2
ANSWER:

Min 3X12 + 2X13 + 4X24 + 5X25 + 3X34 + 7X35

+ 4X42 + 3X43 + 6X46 + 5X 52 + 7X53 + 2X56

s.t.   X12 + X13                                 = 1

−X12 + X24 + X25 − X42 − X52  = 0
−X13 + X34 + X35 − X 43 − X53 = 0
−X24 − X34 + X42 + X43 + X46  = 0
−X25 − X35 + X52 + X53 + X56  = 0
  X46 + X56                                  = 1
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

     Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j

POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

55. A beer distributor needs to plan how to make deliveries from its warehouse (Node 1) to a supermarket (Node 7), as
shown in the network below. Develop the LP formulation for finding the shortest route from the warehouse to the
supermarket.

ANSWER:
Min 3X12 + 3X15 + 12X16 + 5X23 + 5X32 + 6X34 + 6X 43
+ 4X46 + 5X47 + 8X56 + 4X64 + 8X65 + 3X67

s.t. X12 + X15 + X16                                  = 1

−X 12 + X23                                         = 0
−X23 + X32 + X34                                = 0
−X34 + X43 + X46 + X47 − 4X64         = 0
−X15 + X56                                          = 0
−X16 − X46 − X56 + X64 + X65 + X67 = 0
X47 + X67                                             = 1
     Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

56. Consider the following shortest-route problem involving seven cities. The distances between the cities are given
below. Draw the network model for this problem and formulate the LP for finding the shortest route from City 1 to City 7.
Path Distance
1 to 2 6
1 to 3 10
1 to 4 7
2 to 3 4
2 to 5 5
3 to 4 5
3 to 5 2
3 to 6 4
4 to 6 8
5 to 7 7
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
6 to 7 5
ANSWER:

Min 6X12 + 10X13 + 7X14 + 4X23 + 5X25 + 4X32 + 5X34 + 2X35 + 4X36
+ 5X43 + 8X46 + 5X52 + 2X53 + 7X57 + 4X63 + 8X64 + 5X67

s.t.   X12 + X13 + X14                                                               = 1

−X12 + X23 + X25 − X32 − X52                                          = 0
−X13 − X23 + X32 + X34 + X35 + X36 − X43 − X53 − X63 = 0
−X14 − X34 + X43 + X46 − X64                                          = 0
−X25 − X35 + X52 + X53 + X57                                          = 0
−X36 − X46 + X63 + X64 + X67                                          = 0
  X57 + X67                                                                         = 1
     Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

57. The network below shows the flows possible between pairs of six locations. Formulate an LP to find the maximal flow
possible from Node 1 to Node 6.

ANSWER:
Min   X61
 s.t.
X12 + X13 + X15 − X61                      = 0
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

X23 + X 24 − X12 − X32                     = 0

X32 + X34 + X35 − X13 − X23 − X53 = 0
X43 + X46 − X24 − X34                      = 0
X53 + X56 − X15 − X35                      = 0
X61 − X36 − X46 − X56                      = 0
X12 ≤ 18 X13 ≤ 20 X15 ≤ 10
X23 ≤ 9 X24 ≤ 15
X32 ≤ 4 X34 ≤ 10 X35 ≤ 8
X43 ≤ 10 X46 ≤ 14
X53 ≤ 8 X56 ≤ 10
 Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

58. A network of railway lines connects the main lines entering and leaving a city. Speed limits, track reconstruction, and
train length restrictions lead to the flow diagram below, where the numbers represent how many cars can pass per hour.
Formulate an LP to find the maximal flow in cars per hour from Node 1 to Node F.

ANSWER:
Min   XF1
 s.t.
X12 + X15 + X16 − XF1           = 0
X23 + X24 − X 12                     = 0
X34 − X23                                = 0
X48 + X4F − X24 − X34 − X84 = 0
X57 − X15                                = 0
X67 + X69 − X16 − X76            = 0
X76 + X79 − X57 − X67            = 0
X84 + X89 + X8F − X48 − X98  = 0
X98 + X9F − X69 − X79 − X89  = 0
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

XF1 − X4F − X8F − X9F            = 0

X12 ≤ 500 X15 ≤ 300 X16 ≤ 600
X23 ≤ 300 X24 ≤ 400
X34 ≤ 150
X48 ≤ 400 X4F ≤ 600
X57 ≤ 400
X67 ≤ 300 X69 ≤ 500
X76 ≤ 200 X79 ≤ 350
X84 ≤ 200 X89 ≤ 300 X8F ≤ 450
X98 ≤ 300 X9F ≤ 500
     Xij ≥ 0 for all i,j
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

59. Fodak must schedule its production of camera film for the first four months of the year. Film demand (in 1,000s of
rolls) in January, February, March and April is expected to be 300, 500, 650 and 400, respectively. Fodak's production
capacity is 500 thousand rolls of film per month. The film business is highly competitive, so Fodak cannot afford to lose
sales or keep its customers waiting. Meeting month i 's demand with month i +1's production is unacceptable.

Film produced in month i can be used to meet demand in month i or can be held in inventory to meet demand in month i
+1 or month i +2 (but not later due to the film's limited shelflife). There is no film in inventory at the start of January.

The film's production and delivery cost per thousand rolls will be $500 in January and February. This cost will increase to
$600 in March and April due to a new labor contract. Any film put in inventory requires additional transport costing $100
per thousand rolls. It costs $50 per thousand rolls to hold film in inventory from one month to the next.
a. Modeling this problem as a transshipment problem, draw the network representation.
b. Formulate and solve this problem as a linear program.
ANSWER:

a.

b. Define the decision variables:

xij = amount of film "moving" between node i and node j
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
Define objective:
MIN 600x15 + 500x18 + 600x26 + 500x29 + 700x 37 + 600x310 + 600x411 + 50x59
        + 100x510 + 50x610 + 100x611 + 50x711
Define the constraints:
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film produced in January: x15 + x18 ≤ 500
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film produced in February: x26 + x29 ≤ 500
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film produced in March: x37 + x310 ≤ 500
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film produced in April: x411 ≤ 500
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film in/out of January inventory: x15 − x59 − x510 = 0
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film in/out of February inventory: x26 − x610 − x611 = 0
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film in/out of March inventory: x37 − x711 = 0
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film satisfying January demand: x18 = 300
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film satisfying February demand: x29 + x59 = 500
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film satisfying March demand: x310 + x510 + x610 = 650
Amount (1000's of rolls) of film satisfying April demand: x411 + x611 + x711 = 400
Non-negativity of variables: xij ≥ 0, for all i and j.

The Management Scientist provided the following solution:

Objective Function Value = 1045000.000

VARIABLE VALUE REDUCED COST

   X15 150.000     0.000
   X18 300.000     0.000
   X26     0.000 100.000
   X29 500.000     0.000
   X37     0.000 250.000
X310 500.000     0.000
X411 400.000     0.000
   X59     0.000     0.000
X510 150.000     0.000
X610    0.000     0.000
X611    0.000 150.000
X711    0.000     0.000
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Production and inventory application

60. Find the maximal flow from node 1 to node 7 in the following network.

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

ANSWER: Decision variables:

xij = amount of flow from node i to node j
Objective function:
Maximize the flow through the network: Max x71
Constraints:
Conservation of flow for each node:
(1) x12 + x13 + x14 − x 71 = 0 (node 1)
(2) x24 + x25 − x12 − x42 − x52 = 0 (node 2)
(3) x34 + x36 − x13 − x43 = 0 (node 3)
(4) x42 + x 43 + x45 + x46 + x47 − x14 − x24 − x34 − x54 − x64 = 0 (node 4)
(5) x52 + x54 + x57 − x25 − x45 = 0 (node 5)
(6) x64 + x67 − x36 − x46 = 0 (node 6)
(7) x71 − x47 − x57 − x67 = 0 (node 7)
Capacity for each arc:
(8) x12 ≤ 4 (14)   x36 ≤ 6 (20)   x52 ≤ 3
(9) x13 ≤ 3 (15)   x42 ≤ 3 (21)   x54 ≤ 4
(10) x14 ≤ 4 (16)   x43 ≤ 5 (22)   x57 ≤ 2
(11) x24 ≤ 2 (17)   x45 ≤ 3 (23)   x64 ≤ 1
(12) x25 ≤ 3 (18)   x46 ≤ 1 (24)   x67 ≤ 5
(13) x34 ≤ 3 (19)   x47 ≤ 3
Nonnegativity:
All xij ≥ 0

The LP was solved using The Management Scientist. Two solutions are given below.

Objective Function Value = 10.000

Variable Solution 1 Solution 2
x12   3.000   3.000
x13   3.000   3.000
x14   4.000   4.000
x24   1.000   1.000
x25   2.000   2.000
x36   5.000   4.000

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
x43   2.000   1.000
x46   0.000   1.000
x47   3.000   3.000
x57   2.000   2.000
x67   5.000   5.000
x71 10.000 10.000
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

61. A foreman is trying to assign crews to produce the maximum number of parts per hour of a certain product. He has
three crews and four possible work centers. The estimated number of parts per hour for each crew at each work center is
summarized below. Solve for the optimal assignment of crews to work centers.
             Work Center
WC1 WC2 WC3 WC4
Crew A 15 20 18 30
Crew B 20 22 26 30
Crew C 25 26 27 30
ANSWER: OBJECTIVE FUNCTION VALUE = 82.000
VARIABLE VALUE REDUCED COST
AA1 0.000 12.000
AA2 0.000   0.000
AA3 0.000   0.000
AA4 1.000   1.000
AB1 0.000   2.000
AB2 0.000   4.000
AB3 1.000   0.000
AB4 0.000   0.000
AC1 0.000 12.000
AC2 1.000   0.000
AC3 0.000   0.000
AC4 0.000   1.000
AD1 1.000   2.000
AD2 0.000   4.000
AD3 0.000   0.000
AD4 0.000   0.000

CONSTRAINT SLACK/SURPLUS DUAL PRICE

1 0.000 18.000
2 0.000 23.000
3 0.000 24.000
4 0.000 −1.000
5 0.000   1.000
6 0.000   2.000
7 0.000   3.000
8 0.000 12.000
An optimal solution is:
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

Crew Work Center Parts/Hour

Crew A WC4   30
Crew B WC3   26
Crew C WC2   26
---------- WC1   ---
Total Parts Per Hour  82
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

62. A plant manager for a sporting goods manufacturer is in charge of assigning the manufacture of four new aluminum
products to four different departments.  Because of varying expertise and workloads, the different departments can
produce the new products at various rates.  If only one product is to be produced by each department and the daily output
rates are given in the table below, which department should manufacture which product to maximize total daily product
output?  (Note: Department 1 does not have the facilities to produce golf clubs.)

Baseball Tennis Golf Racquetball

Department Bats Rackets Clubs Rackets
1 100 60 X 80
2 100 80 140 100
3 110 75 150 120
4 85 50 100 75

Formulate this assignment problem as a linear program.

ANSWER:
xi represent all possible combinations of departments and products
For example: x1   = 1 if Department 1 is assigned baseball bats;  = 0 otherwise
x2   = 1 if Department 1 is assigned tennis rackets; = 0 otherwise
x5   = 1 if Department 2 is assigned baseball bats;  = 0 otherwise
x15  = 1 if Department 4 is assigned golf clubs; = 0 otherwise
(Note: x3 is not used because Dept.1/golf clubs is not a feasible assignment)

Min  Z  = 100x1+60x2+80x4+100x5+80x6+140x7+100x8+110x9
              +75x10+150x11+120x12+85x13+50x14+100x15+75x16
S.T.    x1   + x2   + x4              =  1
           x5   + x6   + x7   + x8    =  1
           x9   + x10 + x11 + x12   =  1
           x13  + x14 + x15 + x16  =  1
           x1   + x5   + x9   + x13  =  1
           x2   + x6   + x10 + x14  =  1
           x7   + x11 + x15            =  1
           x4   + x8   + x12 + x16  =  1

POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

63. A clothing distributor has four warehouses which serve four large cities. Each warehouse has a monthly capacity of
5,000 blue jeans. They are considering using a transportation LP approach to match demand and capacity.  The following
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
table provides data on their shipping cost, capacity, and demand constraints on a per-month basis.  Develop a linear
programming model for this problem.

Warehouse         City E   City F   City G  City H

       A                      .53       .21       .52       .41
       B                      .31       .38       .41       .29
       C                      .56       .32       .54       .33
       D                      .42       .55       .34       .52
City Demand        2,000   3,000   3,500   5,500

ANSWER:
Xij = each combination of warehouse i and city j
Min  .53XAE + .21XAF + .52XAG + .41XAH + .31XBE + .38XBF + .41XBG + .29XBH
      + .56XCE + .32XCF + .54XCG + .33XCH + .42XDE + .55XDF + .34XDG + .52XDH
st           XAE + XAF + XAG + XAH < 5,000                      XAE + XBE + XCE + XDE = 2,000
             XBE + XBF + XBG + XBH < 5,000                       XAF + XBF + XCF + XDF  = 3,000
             XCE + XCF + XCG + XCH < 5,000                       XAG + XBG + XCG + XDG = 3,500
             XDE + XDF + XDG + XDH < 5,000                       XAH + XBH + XCH + XDH = 5,500
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

64. A computer manufacturing company wants to develop a monthly plan for shipping finished products from three of its
manufacturing facilities to three regional warehouses. It is thinking about using a transportation LP formulation to exactly
match capacities and requirements. Data on transportation costs (in dollars per unit), capacities, and requirements are
given below.

                                          Warehouse

Plant                              1          2          3         Capacities
  A                               2.41     1.63     2.09         4,000
  B                               3.18     5.62     1.74         6,000
  C                               4.12     3.16     3.09         3,000
Requirement              8,000   2,000   3,000

a.   How many variables are involved in the LP formulation?

b.   How many constraints are there in this problem?
c.   What is the constraint corresponding to Plant B?
d.   What is the constraint corresponding to Warehouse 3?
ANSWER:
The problem formulation is shown below. Use it to answer the questions a - d.

Xij = each combination of plant i and warehouse j

Min  2.41XA1 + 1.63XA2 + 2.09XA3 + 3.18XB1 + 5.62XB2 + 1.74XB3
      + 4.12XC1 + 3.16XC2 + 3.09XC3
st       XA1 + XA2 +XA3 = 4,000  (capacities)   XA1 + XB1 +XC1 = 8,000  (requirements)
         XB1 + XB2 + XB3 = 6,000                        XA2 + XB2 +XC2 = 2,000
         XC1 +XC2  + XC3 = 3,000                        XA3 + XB3 +XC3 = 3,000

a.   9 variables
b.   6 constraints
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

c.   XB1 + XB2 + XB3 = 6,000

d.   XA3 + XB3 +XC3 = 3,000
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

Essay

65. Explain how the general linear programming model of the assignment problem can be modified to handle problems
involving a maximization function, unacceptable assignments, and supply not equally demand.
ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Assignment problem

66. Define the variables and constraints necessary in the LP formulation of the transshipment problem.
ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transshipment problem

67. Explain what adjustments can be made to the transportation linear program when there are unacceptable routes.
ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation problem

68. Is it a coincidence to obtain integer solutions to network problems? Explain.

ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Network problems

69. How is the assignment linear program different from the transportation model?
ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Transportation and assignment
problems

70. Define the variables and constraints necessary in the LP formulation of the maximal flow problem.
ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Maximal flow problem

71. How is the shortest-route problem like the transshipment problem?

ANSWER: Answer not provided.
POINTS: 1
TOPICS: Shortest-route problem

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
True / False

1. The transportation simplex method can be used to solve the assignment problem.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

2. The transportation simplex method is limited to minimization problems.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

3. For an assignment problem with 3 agents and 4 tasks, the assignment matrix will have 3 rows and 4 columns.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

4. If a transportation problem has four origins and five destinations, one of the destinations will not be fully supplied.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

5. When an assignment problem involves an unacceptable assignment, a dummy agent or task must be introduced.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

6. In assignment problems, dummy agents or tasks are created when the number of agents and tasks is not equal.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

7. The transportation simplex method is more efficient than general-purpose linear programming for solving large-sized
transportation problems.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

8. A dummy origin in a transportation problem is used when supply exceeds demand.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

9. The net evaluation index for occupied cells in the transportation simplex method is 0.
a. True
b. False

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
ANSWER: True

10. Optimal assignments are made in the Hungarian method to cells in the reduced matrix that contain a 0.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

11. Using the Hungarian method, the optimal solution to an assignment problem is found when the minimum number of
lines required to cover the zero cells in the reduced matrix equals the number of agents.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

12. To handle unacceptable routes in a transportation problem where cost is to be minimized, infeasible arcs must be
assigned negative cost values.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

Multiple Choice

13. A solution to a transportation problem that has less than m + n − 1 cells with positive allocations in the transportation
tableau is
a. an optimal solution.
b. an initial feasible solution.
c. a minimum-cost solution.
d. a degenerate solution.
ANSWER: d

14. The optimal solution is found in an assignment matrix when the minimum number of straight lines needed to cover all
the zeros equals
a. (the number of agents) − 1.
b. (the number of agents).
c. (the number of agents) + 1.
d. (the number of agents) + (the number of tasks).
ANSWER: b

15. The stepping-stone method requires that one or more artificially occupied cells with a flow of zero be created in the
transportation tableau when the number of occupied cells is fewer than
a. m + n − 2
b. m + n − 1
c. m + n
d. m + n + 1
ANSWER: b

16. The per-unit change in the objective function associated with assigning flow to an unused arc in the transportation
simplex method is called the
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
a. net evaluation
index.
b. degenerate value.
c. opportunity loss.
d. simplex multiplier.
ANSWER: a

17. The difference between the transportation and assignment problems is that

a. total supply must equal total demand in the transportation problem
b. the number of origins must equal the number of destinations in the transportation
problem
c. each supply and demand value is 1 in the assignment problem
d. there are many differences between the transportation and assignment problems
ANSWER: c

18. An example of a heuristic is the

a. minimum-cost method.
b. stepping-stone method.
c. Hungarian method.
d. MODI method.
ANSWER: a

19. Using the transportation simplex method, the optimal solution to the transportation problem has been found when
a. there is a shipment in every cell.
b. more than one stepping-stone path is available.
c. there is a tie for outgoing cell.
d. the net evaluation index for each unoccupied cell is ≥ 0.
ANSWER: d

20. Identifying the outgoing arc in Phase II of the transportation simplex method is performed using the
a. minimum cost method.
b. MODI method.
c. stepping-stone method.
d. matrix reduction
method.
ANSWER: c

21. The MODI method is used to

a. identify an outgoing arc.
b. identify an incoming arc.
c. identify unoccupied cells.
d. identify an initial feasible solution.
ANSWER: b

22. To use the transportation simplex method, a transportation problem that is unbalanced requires the use of
a. artificial variables.
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
b. one or more transshipment
nodes.
c. a dummy origin or destination.
d. matrix reduction.
ANSWER: c

23. To use the Hungarian method, a profit-maximization assignment problem requires

a. converting all profits to opportunity losses.
b. a dummy agent or task.
c. matrix expansion.
d. finding the maximum number of lines to cover all the zeros in the reduced
matrix.
ANSWER: a

24. To use the transportation simplex method,

a. there can be no unacceptable routes.
b. the initial feasible solution cannot be degenerate.
c. a minimization objective function must be the case.
d. total supply must equal total demand.
ANSWER: d

Subjective Short Answer

25. Develop the transportation tableau for this transportation problem.

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

ANSWER:

Destination
Origin A B Supply
5 6
1 100

4 2
2 200

3 6
3 150

9 7
4 50

Demand 250 250

26. Solve the following transportation problem using the transportation simplex method. State the minimum total shipping
cost.

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
Origin Supply Destination Demand
A 500 X 300
B 400 Y 300
Z 300
Shipping costs are:
                                        Destination
Source X Y Z
A 2 3 5
B 9 12 10
ANSWER:  

Destination
Origin 1 2 3 Supply
2 3 5
A 200 500
300
9 12 10
B 100 300 400

Demand 300 300 300

Total shipping cost = $5,200.

27. Canning Transport is to move goods from three factories (origins) to three distribution centers (destinations).
Information about the move is given below. Solve the problem using the transportation simplex method and compute the
total shipping cost.
Origin Supply Destination Demand
A 200 X 50
B 100 Y 125
C 150 Z 125

Shipping costs are:

Destination
Origin X Y Z
A 3 2 5
B 9 10 --
C 5 6 4
(Source B cannot ship to destination Z)
ANSWER:

Destination
Origin X Y Z Supply
3 2 5
A 75 125 200

9 10 999
B 100 100

C 5 6 4 150
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
25 125

D 0 0 0 50
50

Demand 250 125 125

Total shipping cost = $2,000.

28. The following table shows the unit shipping cost between cities, the supply at each origin city, and the demand at each
destination city. Solve this minimization problem using the transportation simplex method and compute the optimal total
cost.
Destination
Origin Terre Haute Indianapolis Ft. Wayne South Bend Supply
St. Louis 8 6 12 9 100
Evansville 5 5 10 8 100
Bloomington 3 2 9 10 100
Demand 150 60 45 45
ANSWER:

Destination
Origin Terre Haute Indianapolis Ft. Wayne South Bend Supply
8 6 12 9
St. Louis 10 45 45 100

5 5 10 8
Evansville 100 100

3 2 9 10
Bloomington 50 50 100

Demand 150 60 45 45

Ship 10 from St. Louis to Indianapolis, 45 from St. Louis to Ft. Wayne, 45 from St. Louis to South Bend,
100 from Evansville to Terre Haute, 50 from Bloomington to Terre Haute, and 50 from Bloomington to
Indianapolis. The total cost is 1755.

29. After some special presentations, the employees of the AV Center have to move overhead projectors back to
classrooms. The table below indicates the buildings where the projectors are now (the origins), where they need to go (the
destinations), and a measure of the distance between sites. Determine the transport arrangement that minimizes the total
transport distance.
Destination
Origin Business Education Parsons Hall Holmstedt Hall Supply
Baker Hall 10 9 5 2 35
Tirey Hall 12 11 1 6 10
Arena 15 14 7 6 20
Demand 12 20 10 10
ANSWER:
Origin Destination Units Distance
Baker Hall Business 12 120
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
Baker Hall Education 20 180
Baker Hall Holmstedt Hall   3     6
Tirey Hall Parsons Hall 10   10
Arena Holmstedt Hall   7   42
Arena (none) 13     0
Total 358

30. Solve the following assignment problem using the Hungarian method. No agent can be assigned to more than one
task. Total cost is to be minimized.

Task
Agent A B C D
1  9 5 4 2
2 12 6 3 5
3 11 6 5 7
ANSWER:
Agent Task Cost
1 D   2
2 C   3
3 B   6
Unassigned A   0
Total Cost 11

31. Use the Hungarian method to obtain the optimal solution to the following assignment problem in which total cost is to
be minimized. All tasks must be assigned and no agent can be assigned to more than one task.

Task
Agent A B C D
1 10 12 15 25
2 11 14 19 32
3 18 21 23 29
4 15 20 26 28
ANSWER:
Agent Task Cost
1 C 15
2 B 14
3 D 29
4 A 15
Total Cost 73

32. A professor has been contacted by four not-for-profit agencies that are willing to work with student consulting teams.
The agencies need help with such things as budgeting, information systems, coordinating volunteers, and forecasting.
Although each of the four student teams could work with any of the agencies, the professor feels that there is a difference
in the amount of time it would take each group to solve each problem. The professor's estimate of the time, in days, is
given in the table below. Use the Hungarian method to determine which team works with which project. All projects must
be assigned and no team can be assigned to more than one project.

Project
Team Budgeting Information Volunteers Forecasting
A 32 35 15 27
B 38 40 18 35
C 41 42 25 38
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
D 45 45 30 42
ANSWER: Team A works with the forecast, Team B works with volunteers, Team C works with budgeting, and Team D
works with information. The total time is 131.

33. A manufacturer of electrical consumer products, with its headquarters in Burlington, Iowa, produces electric irons at
Manufacturing Plants 1, 2, and 3. The irons are shipped to Warehouses A, B, C, and D. The shipping cost per iron, the
monthly warehouse requirements, and the monthly plant production levels are:

Warehouse Monthly Plant

A B C D     Production (units)
Plant 1 $.20 $.25 $.15 $.20 10,000
Plant 2  .15 .30   .20   .15 20,000
Plant 3  .15  .20   .20   .25 10,000
Monthly Warehouse
12,000 8,000 15,000 5,000
Requirements (units)

How many electric irons should be shipped per month from each plant to each warehouse to minimize monthly shipping
costs?
a. Use the minimum cost method to find an initial feasible solution.
b. Can the initial solution be improved?
c. Compute the optimal total shipping cost per month.
ANSWER:
a.The minimum cost method (and breaking ties by choosing the cell corresponding to the arc over which the
most units can be shipped) found the solution shown below.

Destination
Origin Warehouse A Warehouse B Warehouse C Warehouse D Supply
.20 .25 .15 .20
Plant 1 10,000 10,000

.15 .30 .20 .15

Plant 2 12,000 3,000 5,000 20,000

.15 .20 .20 .25

Plant 3 8,000 2,000 10,000

Demand 12,000 8,000 15,000 5,000

b.  The solution cannot be improved.  It is optimal.

c.  Total monthly shipping cost = $6,650.

34. Al Bergman, staff traffic analyst at the corporate headquarters of Computer Products Corporation (CPC), is
developing a monthly shipping plan for the El Paso and Atlanta manufacturing plants to follow next year. These plants
manufacture specialized computer workstations that are shipped to five regional warehouses. Al has developed these
estimated requirements and costs:

 Warehouse Monthly Plant

 Plant  Chicago  Dallas  Denver  New York San Jose Production (units)
Atlanta $35 $40 $60 $45 $90 200
El Paso   50   30   35   95   40 300
Monthly Warehouse 75 100 25 150 150
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
Requirements (units)
Determine how many workstations should be shipped per month from each plant to each warehouse to minimize monthly
shipping costs, and compute the total shipping cost.
a. Use the minimum cost method to find an initial feasible solution.
b. Use the transportation simplex method to find an optimal solution.
c. Compute the optimal total shipping cost.
ANSWER:
a.  Initial feasible solution found using the minimum cost method is below. Total cost = $20,500.

Destination
Origin Chicago Dallas Denver New York San Jose Supply
35 40 60 45 90
Atlanta 75 125 200

50 30 35 95 40
El Paso 100 25 25 150 300

Demand 75 100 25 150 150

b.  Optimal solution found using MODI and stepping-stone methods is below.

Destination
Origin Chicago Dallas Denver New York San Jose Supply
35 40 60 45 90
Atlanta 50 150 200

50 30 35 95 40
El Paso 25 100 25 150 300

Demand 75 100 25 150 150

c.  Total monthly shipping cost = $19,625.

35. Consider the transportation problem below.

Destination
Origin 1 2 3 Supply
A $ .50 $ .90 $ .50 100
B    .80 1.00    .40 500
C    .90    .70    .80 900
Demand   300   800   400

a. Use the minimum cost method to find an initial feasible solution.

b. Can the initial solution be improved?
c. Compute the optimal total shipping cost.
ANSWER:
a. The minimum cost method provided the solution shown below.

Destination
Origin 1 2 3 Supply

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
.50 .90 .50
A 100 100

.80 1.00 .40

B 100 400 500

.90 .70 .80

C 100 800 900

Demand 300 800 400

b. The solution cannot be improved. It is optimal.

c. Total shipping cost = $940.

36. Five customers needing their tax returns prepared must be assigned to five tax accountants. The estimated profits for
all possible assignments are shown below. Only one accountant can be assigned to a customer, and all customers' tax
returns must be prepared. What should the customer-accountant assignments be so that estimated total profit is
maximized? What is the resulting total profit?

Accountant
Customer 1 2 3 4 5
A $500 $525 $550 $600 $700
B 625 575 700 550 800
C 825 650 450 750 775
D 590 650 525 690 750
E 450 750 660 390 550
ANSWER:
Customer Accountant Profit
A 5 $   700
B 3      700
C 1      825
D 4      690
E 2      750
Total Profit $3,665

37. Four jobs must be assigned to four work centers. Only one job can be assigned to each work center, and all jobs must
be processed. The cost of processing each job at each work center is shown below. Determine which jobs should be
assigned to which work center to minimize total processing cost. Compute the total processing cost.

Work Center
Job 1 2 3 4
A $50 $45 $50 $65
B 25 40 35 20
C 65 60 55 65
E 55 65 75 85
ANSWER:
Job Work Center Cost
A 2 $  45
B 4     20
C 3     55
D 1     55
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models
Total Cost $175

38. Four employees must be assigned to four projects. Only one employee can be assigned to each project, and all projects
must be completed. The cost of each employee completing each project is shown below. Determine which employee
should be assigned to which project to minimize total project completion cost. Be sure to compute the total project
completion cost.

Project
Employee 1 2 3 4
Al $300 $325 $500 $350
Ben   400   525   575   600
Cal   350   400   600   500
Dan   400   350   450   450
ANSWER:
Employee Project Cost
Al 4 $   350
Ben 1      400
Cal 2      400
Dan 3      450
Total Cost $1,600

39. 
A
large screen printer is faced with six jobs due on Tuesday. The plan is to do the jobs on Monday so they will be ready on
time. The shop has six worker-machine pairs that can work on any of the six jobs. Because of differing experience levels
and machine capabilities, processing times differ. The processing times presented in the table below are in minutes.  What
is the optimal assignment of jobs to worker-machine pairs that minimizes total processing time?

Worker-Machine Pair
Job 1 2 3 4 5 6
A 250 375 175 425 225 350
B 350 310 375 410 275 225
C 410 450 325 275 315 275
D 380 245 350 375 210 350
E 395 250 280 390 410 375
F 250 285 410 385 300 295

ANSWER:
 Job  Worker-Machine Pair  Time
 A  3 175
 B  6  225
 C  4  275
 D  5  210
 E  2  250
 F  1  250
 Total Time =  1385

40. A company ships products from four factories to four warehouses. The factory capacities, warehouse requirements,
and per-unit shipping costs are shown below:

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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

Warehouse Monthly Factory

1 2 3 4 Capacity (units)
Factory A $11 $13 $9 $6   5,000
Factory B 12 10 7 9 10,000
Factory C 19 16 15 21 10,000
Factory D  7  6  4  9   5,000
Monthly Warehouse
Min. Requirement (units) 3,000 8,000 12,000 5,000

How many products should the company ship from each factory to each warehouse to minimize monthly shipping costs? 
What will the monthly shipping cost be if the shipping plan is followed?  (Use the minimum cost method to find an initial
feasible solution and the transportation simplex method to find an optimal solution.)
ANSWER:
Factory A to Warehouse 4 =    5,000 units
Factory B to Warehouse 3 =  10,000 units
Factory C to Warehouse 2 =    8,000 units
Factory D to Warehouse 1 =    3,000 units
Factory D to Warehouse 3 =    2,000 units
Total Cost = $257,000

41. 
The Des Moines plant of Tri-B Corp. has three fabrication departments with each producing a single unique product with
equipment that is dedicated solely to its product.  The three products are moved to four assembly departments where they
are assembled.
Although any of the three products can be processed in any of the assembly departments, the materials-handling and
assembly costs are different because of the varying distances between departments and because of different equipment.
Each fabrication and assembly department has a different monthly capacity, and it is desirable that each department
operate at capacity.  The variable costs and capacity for each department is shown below.

Assembly Department Monthly Fabrication

1 2 3 4 Dept. Capacity (units)
Fabrication Dept. A $1.20 $0.70 $0.50 $0.60   9,000
Fabrication Dept. B   0.70   0.50   0.50   0.60 17,000
Fabrication Dept. C   0.50   0.70   0.80   1.20 14,000
Monthly Assembly
Dept. Capacity (units) 3,000 10,000 15,000 12,000

How many units of each product should be moved from each fabrication department to each assembly department to
minimize total monthly costs?  (Use the minimum cost method to find an initial feasible solution and the transportation
simplex method to find an optimal solution.)  Compute the optimal total monthly cost?
ANSWER:
Dept. A to Dept. 4 =    9,000 units
Dept. B to Dept. 3 =  14,000 units
Dept. B to Dept. 4 =    3,000 units
Dept. C to Dept. 1 =    3,000 units
Dept. C to Dept. 2 =  10,000 units
Dept. C to Dept. 3 =    1,000 units
Total shipping cost =  $23,500.00

Essay
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Chapter 6 - Distribution and Network Models

42. For an assignment problem where the number of agents does not equal the number of tasks, what adjustments must be
made to allow the problem to be solved using the Hungarian method?
ANSWER: No Answer provided.

43. Explain how the transportation simplex method can be used to solve a transportation problem that has a maximization
objective.
ANSWER: No answer provided.

44. Explain what adjustments are made to the transportation tableau when there are unacceptable routes.
ANSWER: No answer provided.

45. Explain what adjustments are made to the transportation tableau when total supply and total demand are not equal.
ANSWER: No answer provided.

46. Explain how the Hungarian method can be used to solve an assignment problem that has a maximization objective.
ANSWER: No answer provided.

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