1. What is Operation Research?

Operation Research (OR) is a discipline that deals with the application of advanced analytical
methods to help make better decisions. It involves the use of mathematical and analytical
techniques to optimize decision-making processes in complex systems. OR is used to identify and
solve problems in a wide range of fields, including management, economics, engineering, and more.

2. Explain the use of OR in Agriculture field.

OR is widely used in agriculture to optimize crop yields, reduce costs, and improve resource
allocation. Some examples of OR applications in agriculture include:

Crop planning: OR is used to determine the optimal crop mix, planting schedule, and harvesting
strategy to maximize yields and profits.

Resource allocation: OR is used to allocate resources such as water, fertilizers, and labor to optimize
crop growth and reduce waste.

Supply chain management: OR is used to optimize the transportation and storage of agricultural
products to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

3. How OR is useful to the personnel management.

OR is useful in personnel management in several ways, including:

Workforce planning: OR is used to determine the optimal staffing levels, skills, and training
requirements to meet organizational goals.

Scheduling: OR is used to optimize employee schedules to minimize labor costs, reduce overtime,
and improve productivity.

Performance evaluation: OR is used to develop models to evaluate employee performance and

4. What you mean by Iconic model.? Give any 2 examples.

An iconic model is a mathematical representation of a real-world system or problem. It is a

Two examples of iconic models are:

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP): This is a classic OR problem that involves finding the shortest
possible tour that visits a set of cities and returns to the starting point.

The Knapsack Problem: This is a problem that involves finding the optimal way to pack a set of items
of different weights and values into a knapsack of limited capacity.

5. What are the uses of linear programming in management?

Linear programming (LP) is a powerful tool used in management to optimize decision-making

Resource allocation: LP is used to allocate resources such as labor, materials, and equipment to
optimize production and minimize costs.

Production planning: LP is used to determine the optimal production levels, inventory levels, and
supply chain management to meet customer demand.
Financial planning: LP is used to optimize investment portfolios, manage cash flow, and minimize
financial risks.

6. Define objective function. What you mean by constraints.

An objective function is a mathematical function that represents the goal or objective of a decision-
making problem. It is a function that is to be maximized or minimized, subject to a set of constraints.

Constraints are limitations or restrictions that are imposed on a decision-making problem. They are
mathematical expressions that must be satisfied in order to obtain a feasible solution.

For example, in a production planning problem, the objective function might be to maximize profits,
subject to constraints on the availability of raw materials, labor, and equipment.

7. What you mean by degeneracy in LPP.

In linear programming, degeneracy occurs when a basic feasible solution has at least one basic
variable with a value of zero. This means that the solution is not unique, and there may be multiple
optimal solutions.

8. What you mean by Non-Degenerate basic feasible solution in Transportation Problem.

In the transportation problem, a non-degenerate basic feasible solution is a solution that has a
unique set of values for the decision variables, and all the basic variables have non-zero values.

9. How to convert a Maximisation transportation problem to Minimisation?

To convert a maximization transportation problem to a minimization problem, we can simply

10. What you mean by unbalanced assignment problem?

An unbalanced assignment problem is a type of assignment problem where the number of sources
(e.g. workers) is not equal to the number of destinations (e.g. tasks). This means that some sources
may be assigned to multiple destinations, or some destinations may not be assigned to any sources.

11. Define saddle point.

A saddle point is a point in a function that is a local maximum in one direction and a local minimum
in another direction. In game theory, a saddle point is a point where the maximum of the minimum
payoff is equal to the minimum of the maximum payoff.

12. What is two person zero sum game.

A two-person zero-sum game is a game played between two players, where one player's gain is
equal to the other player's loss. The total payoff of the game is zero, and the game is played in a way
that one player tries to maximize their payoff

13. Explain the nature of operation research

Operation Research (OR) is a scientific approach to decision-making that involves the use of
mathematical and analytical techniques to optimize decision-making processes.
14. Briefly describe some application of operation research in functional areas of management.
OR has applications in various functional areas of management, including production and operations
management, financial management, marketing management, and human resource management.

15. Describe any 2 limitations of OR.

Two limitations of OR are oversimplification and data quality.

16. What you mean by analogue model model.? Give any 2 examples.

An analogue model is a physical representation of a system or problem. Two examples are a wind
tunnel used to test the aerodynamics of an aircraft and a scale model of a building used to test its
structural integrity.

17. What is a linear programming problem?

A linear programming problem (LPP) is a mathematical optimization problem that involves finding
the best outcome in a situation where there are multiple constraints.

18. What are the characteristics of linear programming problems?

The characteristics of LPPs are linearity, finiteness, non-negativity, and optimality.

19. When is the solution to a LPP infeasible?

The solution to an LPP is infeasible when there is no set of values for the variables that satisfies all
the constraints.

19. Distinguish between feasible solution and basic feasible solution.

A feasible solution is a set of values for the variables that satisfies all the constraints, while a basic
feasible solution is a feasible solution that is obtained by setting some of the variables to zero.

20. What is a loop in Transportation problem?

A loop in a transportation problem is a sequence of shipments that forms a cycle, where the last
shipment returns to the starting point.

21. Write the reason for unbalanced TP.

An unbalanced transportation problem occurs when the total supply is not equal to the total
demand.

22. Define a game.

A game is a situation where multiple players make decisions that affect the outcome, and the goal is
to maximize one's own payoff or utility.

23. State the features of operation research.

The features of OR are interdisciplinary approach, analytical approach, problem-solving approach,

24. Explain the use of OR in Agriculture field.

OR is used in agriculture to optimize crop yields, reduce costs, and improve resource allocation.
25. Describe any 2 limitations of OR.

Two limitations of OR are oversimplification and data quality.

26. What do you mean by Physical model? Give any 2 examples.

A physical model is a tangible representation of a system or problem. Two examples are a scale
model of a building and a prototype of a product.

27. List the basic assumptions of linear programming problems.

The basic assumptions of LPPs are linearity, finiteness, non-negativity, and optimality.

28. What are slack and surplus variables?

Slack variables are used to represent the amount of unused resources, while surplus variables are
used to represent the amount of excess resources.

29. Why BigM method is called method of penalities?

The BigM method is called the method of penalties because it involves adding a large penalty term
to the objective function to discourage the selection of certain variables.

30. List any two methods to find intial BFS of a transportation problem.

Two methods to find the initial BFS of a transportation problem are the Northwest Corner Rule and
the Least Cost Method.

31. How do you find the penalty in Vogel's approximation method?

The penalty in Vogel's approximation method is found by calculating the difference between the
maximum and minimum costs in each row and column.

32. Write the general effective matrix of an assignment problem.

The general effective matrix of an assignment problem is a matrix that represents the costs of
assigning each worker to each task.

33. What do you mean by principle of dominance in game theory?

The principle of dominance in game theory states that a player should choose the strategy that
dominates all other strategies.

34. What do you mean by zero sum game?

A zero-sum game is a game where the total payoff is zero, and one player's gain is equal to the other
player's loss.

35. What is operation research?

Operation Research (OR) is a scientific approach to decision-making that involves the use of
mathematical and analytical techniques to optimize decision-making processes.

36. Explain the nature of operation research.

OR is an interdisciplinary field that combines mathematics, statistics, computer science, and

OR is used in transportation to optimize routes, schedules, and resource allocation.

38. Briefly describe some application of operation research in functional areas of management.

OR has applications in various functional areas of management, including production and operations
management, financial management, marketing management, and human resource management.

39. What is a linear programming problem?

A linear programming problem (LPP) is a mathematical optimization problem that involves finding
the best outcome in a situation where there are multiple constraints.

40. What do you mean by unbounded solution?

An unbounded solution is a solution to an LPP where the objective function can be made arbitrarily
large or small without violating any of the constraints.

41. What are artifical varables and why are they introduced?

Artificial variables are variables that are introduced into an LPP to help solve the problem. They are
used to convert an inequality constraint into an equality constraint.

42. State the features of operation research.

The features of OR are interdisciplinary approach, analytical approach, problem-solving approach,

43. How OR is useful to the personnel management?

OR is useful in personnel management to optimize workforce planning, employee scheduling, and

44. What are the main characteristic that a good model for operation research?

A good model for OR should be simple, realistic, and solvable.

45. Define the terms feasible solution and optimal solution.

A feasible solution is a set of values for the variables that satisfies all the constraints, while an
optimal solution is a feasible solution that maximizes or minimizes the objective function.

46. What you mean by degeneracy in LPP?

Degeneracy in LPP occurs when a basic feasible solution has at least one variable with a value of
zero.

47. What you mean by unbounded solution?

An unbounded solution is a solution to an LPP where the objective function can be made arbitrarily
large or small without violating any of the constraints.

48. Write the transportation problem in the form of an LPP.

The transportation problem can be formulated as an LPP as follows: Minimize: ∑∑cijxij Subject to:
∑xij = ai (supply constraint) ∑xij = bj (demand constraint) xij ≥ 0 (non-negativity constraint)
49. What is the role of loops in transportation problem?

Loops in a transportation problem represent a sequence of shipments that forms a cycle, where the
last shipment returns to the starting point.

50. Is every assignment problem is a special case of transportation problem? Comment on your
answer.

Yes, every assignment problem is a special case of a transportation problem, where the supply and
demand are equal and the cost of transportation is zero.

51. What do you mean by value of the game?

The value of the game is the maximum payoff that a player can guarantee regardless of the
opponent's strategy.

52. What is two person zero sum game

A two-person zero-sum game is a game where two players make decisions that affect the outcome,
and the total payoff is zero, with one player's gain equal to the other player's loss.

53. What is operation research?

Operation Research (OR) is a scientific approach to decision-making that involves the use of
mathematical and analytical techniques to optimize decision-making processes.

54. State the features of operation research

The features of OR are:

Interdisciplinary approach

Analytical approach

Problem-solving approach

Decision-making approach

55. Explain the use of OR in Agriculture field

OR is used in agriculture to optimize crop yields, reduce costs, and improve resource allocation. It is
used to solve problems such as:

Crop planning and scheduling

Irrigation management

Pest control and disease management

Supply chain management

56. State three operation research models which have wide commercial applications

Three OR models with wide commercial applications are: Linear Programming (LP)

Dynamic Programming (DP)

Integer Programming (IP)

The characteristics of Linear Programming Problems (LPPs) are:

Linearity: The objective function and constraints are linear

Finiteness: The number of variables and constraints is finite

Non-negativity: The variables are non-negative

Optimality: The objective function is optimized

58. When is the solution to a LPP infeasible?

The solution to an LPP is infeasible when there is no set of values for the variables that satisfies all
the constraints.

59. What are artifical varables and Why are they introduced?

Artificial variables are variables that are introduced into an LPP to help solve the problem. They are
used to convert an inequality constraint into an equality constraint.

60. List any two methods to find intial BFS of a transportation problem

Two methods to find the initial Basic Feasible Solution (BFS) of a transportation problem are:

Northwest Corner Rule

Least Cost Method

61. How do you find the penalty in Vogel's approximation method?

The penalty in Vogel's approximation method is found by calculating the difference between the
maximum and minimum costs in each row and column.

62. What you mena by unbalaced assignment problem?

An unbalanced assignment problem is a problem where the number of workers is not equal to the
number of tasks, or the total capacity of the workers is not equal to the total requirement of the
tasks.