MATH 460 Operations Research
Fall 2004 Assignments

 

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Assignment #1 - Due on Friday, September 3

If you have not already done so, activate your computer account.

Log in on the campus computer system and do the following:
1) Read any incoming e-mail you find from your instructor in your mail box.
2) Send an e-mail message to your instructor.
3) Use Netscape or Internet Explorer to access the web page for this course.
(http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~dccathcart/Math460/Math460Home.html)
4) Follow the appropriate links and read the "Course Syllabus," your
"Instructor's Policies," and the "Guidelines for Written Work."

Read Chapter 1 (pp. 1-20) of our text.

Do the following problems and submit written solutions for those in parentheses.

Chapter 1 Problems (pp. 20-21):  (5), (7), 8, (9), 16

 

Assignment #2 - Due on Friday, September 10

 

Read Chapter 2 (pp. 32- 70) of our text.

Do the following problems and submit written solutions for those in parentheses.

Chapter 2 Problems:  1, 6, 7, 10, 17, 18, (21), 22, (29), 33, (47), (48)

 

Sample write up for #21

Sample write up for #47

Sample write up for #48

Assignment #3 - Due on Friday, September 17

Revisit the reading of Chapter 2 and address the following questions.

            Do you understand what the authors mean by proportionality, additivity, and divisibility on page 37?

            Do you understand the interpretation of reduced costs on page 54?

            Do you understand how we can have alternative optimal solutions (page 61)?

            Is the “Summary” on pages 67 and 68 meaningful to you?

Try to solve the Par, Inc. problem using Excel following the directions on pp. 91-93.

Read pp. 95-118 in Chapter 3.

Do the following problems and submit written solutions for those in parentheses.

Chapter 3 Problems:  (1), (2), 3, 4, 5, 6, (7), (8), 11, 12

 

Assignment #4 - Due on Friday, September 24

 

Read pp. 119-129 in Chapter 3.

Do the following problems and submit written solutions for those in parentheses.

Chapter 3 Problems:  28, (29)

Chapter 4 Problems:  8, 24, (25)

 

Sample outline for a write-up for Chapter 3/#29

Sample write-up for Chapter 4/#25

 

 

Assignment #5 - Due on Friday, October 1

 

Read pp. 234-251 in Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 Problems (Use the simplex method in each case.):  (7), (9), (29) Directions for 29 are on p. 275.

 

Sample write-up for Chapter 5/#9

Sample write-up for Chapter 5/#29

 

 

Test #1 – Monday, October 4

 

Link to a study guide for Test #1

 

Assignment #6 - Due on Monday, October 11

 

Read pp. 251-269 in Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 Problems:  (3), (11), 15, (17 using the simplex method), 24, 25, (27) Directions for 24-27 are on p. 275.

 

Sample write-up for Chapter 5/#3

Sample write-up for Chapter 5/#11    (The write-up includes use of an alternative algorithm.) 

Sample write-up for Chapter 5/#17

 

 

Assignment #7 - Due on Friday, October 15

 

Read pp. 307-314 in Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Problems:  4, (5)

Read pp. 279-283 in Chapter 6.

Chapter 6 Problems:  1 (Use method of Ch. 6), 2 (Use method of Ch. 6)

 

Assignment #8 – Due on Friday, October 22

 

Chapter 5 Problems:  (18 showing step-by-step use if the “big M” method.)

Read pp. 320-326 in Chapter 7.

Chapter 7 Problems:  (11), (27)

 

Link to outline of solutions to exercises on Assignment 8.

 

Test #2 – Monday, October 25

 

The test will cover Chapter 5 and part of Chapter 7.

Review the course learning objectives for those chapters.  In particular, for Chapter 5 master objectives 1-6;

for Chapter 7 master objectives 1-4 and 8-12.

Link to practice exercises for Test #2.

Link to solutions for practice exercises.

Assignment #9 – Due on Monday, November 8

Read Section 17.1.

Chapter 17 Problems:  (1), (5 assuming a MCP), 6

Assignment #10 -  Due on Monday, November 15

Read Section 17.2

Chapter 17 Problems:  (13) Set up the transition matrix P, Calculate the fundamental matrix N and NR.

Carefully justify your answers.  Check your answers using the Management Scientist software or some

other technological resource.

Assignment #11 - Due on Monday, November 22

Chapter 7 Problems:  (13) Develop a network representation and LP formulation.

Chapter 8 Problems:  (2),

Chapter 9 Problems:  (3) Use algorithm and check with MS software.

Assignment #12 -  Due on Monday, November 29

Chapter 10 Problems:  (7)

Test #3 – A Take-Home Exam Due on Monday, December 6

Be sure to give complete discussions of the models you formulate.  You should also apply and discuss a sensitivity analysis where appropriate.

It is unlikely that we will get the same model in the case of problem 2; we will almost certainly get different optimal solutions.  Make

recommendations and suggestions as if you were a consultant.  Critique your model and suggest possible improvements.  (You don't have to

implement your suggested improvements.)  You might look a some of our authors' case studies and consider what they suggest be included in

a managerial report.

 

Here are some sample solutions.  Some student write-ups included better discussions

Than the ones in the samples.

Link to a sample approach to the job assignment problem (#1).

Link to a sample approach to the resource allocation problem(#2).

Final Exam - Tuesday, December 14, 8:00-10:00 am

Link to a study guide for the Final Exam.

Home page for this course.