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This lesson contains solutions to assorted Linear Programming Word Problems.

PROBLEM NUMBER 1 A farmer can plant up to 8 acres of land with wheat and barley. He can earn $5,000 for every acre he plants with wheat and $3,000 for every acre he plants with barley. His use of a necessary pesticide is limited by federal regulations to 10 gallons for his entire 8 acres. Wheat requires 2 gallons of pesticide for every acre planted and barley requires just 1 gallon per acre. What is the maximum profit he can make? SOLUTION TO PROBLEM NUMBER 1 let x = the number of acres of wheat let y = the number of acres of barley. since the farmer earns $5,000 for each acre of wheat and $3,000 for each acre of barley, then the total profit the farmer can earn is 5000*x + 3000*y. let p = total profit that can be earned. your equation for profit becomes: p = 5000x + 3000y that's your objective function. it's what you want to maximize the constraints are: number of acres has to be greater than or equal to 0.

number of acres has to be less than or equal to 8. amount of pesticide has to be less than or equal to 10. your constraint equations are: x >= 0 y >= 0 x + y <= 8 2x + y <= 10 to graph these equations, solve for y in those equations that have y in them and then graph the equality portion of those equations. x >= 0 y >= 0 y <= 8-x y <= 10 - 2x x = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is a horizontal line that is the same line as the x-axis. the area of the graph that satisfies all the constraints is the region of feasibility. the maximum or minimum solutions to the problem will be at the intersection points of the lines that bound the region of feasibility. the graph of your equations looks like this:

the region of feasibility is the shaded area of the graph. you can see from this graph that the region of feasibility is bounded by the following (x,y) coordinate points: (0,0) (0,8) (2,6) (5,0) the point (0,0) is the intersection of the line x-axis with the y-axis. the point (0,8) is the intersection of the line y = 8 - x with the y-axis. the point (5,0) is the intersection of the line y = 10 - 2x with the x-axis. the point (2,6) is the intersection of the line y = 8 - x with the line y = 10 - 2x.

the point (2,6) was solved for in the following manner: equations of the intersecting lines are: y=8-x y = 10 - 2x subtract the first equation from the second equation and you get: 0=2-x add x to both sides of this equation and you get: x=2 substitute 2 for x in either equation to get y = 6. that makes the intersection point (x,y) = (2,6). the objective equation is: p = 5000x + 3000y profit will be maximum at the intersection points of the region of feasibility on the graph. the profit equation is evaluated at each of these points as shown in the following table.
intersection point of (x,y) (0,0) (0,8) (2,6) (5,0) p $0 $24,000 $28,000 ***** $25,000

the maximum profit occurs when the farmer plants 2 acres of wheat and 6 acres of barley. number of acres of wheat is 2 and number of acres of barley is 6 for a total of 8 acres which is the maximum number of acres available for planting. number of gallons of pesticide used for wheat is 4 and number of gallons of pesticide used for barley is 6 for a total of 10 gallons of pesticide which is the maximum amount of pesticide that can be used. PROBLEM NUMBER 2

A painter has exactly 32 units of yellow dye and 54 units of green dye. He plans to mix as many gallons as possible of color A and color B. Each gallon of color A requires 4 units of yellow dye and 1 unit of green dye. Each gallon of color B requires 1 unit of yellow dye and 6 units of green dye. Find the maximum number of gallons he can mix. SOLUTION TO PROBLEM NUMBER 2 the objective function is to determine the maximum number of gallons he can mix. the colors involved are color A and color B. let x = the number of gallons of color A. let y = the number of gallons of color B. if we let g = the maximum gallons the painter can make, then the objective function becomes: g=x+y make a table for color A and color B to determine the amount of each dye required. your table will look like this: each gallon of color A or B will require:
units of yellow dye color A color B 4 1 units of green dye 1 6

total units of yellow dye available are 32 total units of green dye available are 54 your constraint equations are: x >= 0 y >= 0 4x + y <= 32 x + 6y <= 54 x and y have to each be greater than or equal to 0 because the number of gallons can't be negative. in order to graph these equations, you solve for y in those equations that have y in them. the equtions for graphing are: x >= 0 y >= 0 y <= 32 - 4x y <= (54 - x)/6 x = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is a horizontal line that is the same line as the x-axis. the graph will look like this:

the region of feasibility is the shaded area of the graph. all points within the feasibility region meet the constraint of the problem. the intersection points of the region of feasibility are: (0,0) (0,9) (6,8)

(8,0) the maximum or minimum value of the objective function will be at these points of intersection. solve the objective function at each of these intersection points to determine which point contains the maximum number of gallons. the objective function is: g=x+y the table with the value of g at each of these intersection points is shown below:
intersection point (x,y) (0,0) (0,9) (6,8) (8,0) gallons of paint 0 9 14 ***** 8

the maximum gallons of paint for color A and B, given the constraints, is equal to 14. this is comprised of 6 gallons of color A and 8 gallons of color B. 6 gallons of color A uses 24 gallons of yellow dye and 8 gallons of color B uses 8 gallons of yellow dye for a total of 32 gallons of yellow dye which is the maximum amount of yellow dye that can be used. 6 gallons of color A user 6 gallons of green dye and 8 gallons of color B uses 48 gallons of green dye for a total of 54 gallons of green dye which is the maximum amount of green dye that can be used.

PROBLEM NUMBER 3 The Bead Store sells material for customers to make their own jewelry. Customer can select beads from various bins. Grace wants to design her own Halloween necklace from orange and black beads. She wants to make

a necklace that is at least 12 inches long, but no more than 24 inches long. Grace also wants her necklace to contain black beads that are at least twice the length of orange beads. Finally, she wants her necklace to have at least 5 inches of black beads. Find the constraints, sketch the problem and find the vertices (intersection points) SOLUTION TO PROBLEM NUMBER 3 let x = the number of inches of black beads. let y = the number of inches of orange beads. the objective function is the length of the necklace there is a maximum length and a minimum length. if you let n equal the length of the necklace, then the objective function becomes: n=x+y since the problem is looking for the number of inches of black beads and the number of inches of orange beads, we will let: the constraint equations for this problem are: x >= 0 y >= 0 x + y >= 12 x + y <= 24 x >= 2y x >= 5 x >= 0 is there because the number of inches of black beads can't be negative.

y >= 0 is there because the number of inches of orange beads can't be negative. x + y >= 12 is there because the total length of the necklace has to be greater than or equal to 12 inches. x + y <= 24 is there because the total length of the necklace has to be less than or equal to 24 inches. x >= 2y is there because the length of the black beads has to be greater than or equal to twice the length of the orange beads. x >= 5 is there because the number of inches of black beads has to be greater than or equal to 5. to graph these equations, we have to solve for y in each equation that has y in it and then graph the equality portion of each of them. your equations for graphing are: x >= 0 y >= 0 y >= 12 - x y <= 24 - x y <= x/2 x >= 5 x = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is a horizontal line that is the same line as the x-axis. x = 5 is a vertical line at x = 5. a graph of you equations is shown below:

the region of feasibility is the shaded area of the graph. all points within the region of feasibility meet the constraint requirements of the problem. the intersection points bounding the region of feasibility are: (8,4) (12,0) (16,8)

(24,0) (8,4) is the intersection of the lines y = x/2 and y = 12 - x to find the point of intersection, set x/2 and 12-x equal to each other and solve for xx. you get: x/2 = 12-x multiply both sides of the equation by 2 to get: x = 24-2x add 2x to both sides of the equation to get: 3x = 24 divide both sides of the equation by 3 to get: x = 8. substitute 8 for x in either equation to get y = 4. (12,0) is the intersection of the line y = 12 - x with the x-axis. (24,0) is the intersection of the line y = 24 - x with the x-axis. to find the point of intersection, set y equal to 0 in each equation and solve for x. (16,8) is the intersection of the lines y = x/2 and y = 24 - x. to find the intersection point, set x/2 equal to 24-x and solve for x. you get: x/2 = 24-x multiply both sides of this equation by 2 to get: x = 48 - 2x add 2x to both sides of this equation to get: 3x = 48 divide both sides of this equation by 3 to get: x = 16 substitute 16 for x in either equation to get: y = 8. the maximum / minimum necklace length will be at the intersection points

of the boundaries of the region of feasibility. evaluation of the objective function at these intersections yields the following: objective function is: x + y = n where n is the length of the necklace in inches.
intersection points (8,4) (12,0) (16,8) (24,0) number of inches 12 12 24 24

the number of inches of black beads is at least twice the number of inches of orange beads. the number of inches of black beads is at least 5. the total length of the necklace is greater than or equal to 12 inches or less than or equal to 24 inches. all the constraints have been met. the maximum length the necklace can be and still meet the constraints is 24 inches. the minimum length the necklace can be and still meet the constraints is 12 inches. PROBLEM NUMBER 4 A garden shop wishes to prepare a supply of special fertilizer at a minimal cost by mixing two fertilizers, A and B. The mixture is to contain: at least 45 units of phosphate at least 36 units of nitrate at least 40 units of ammonium Fertilizer A costs the shop $.97 per pound. Fertilizer B costs the shop $1.89 per pound.

fertilizer A contains 5 units of phosphate and 2 units of nitrate and 2 units of ammonium. fertilizer B contains 3 units of phosphate and 3 units of nitrate and 5 units of ammonium. how many pounds of each fertilizer should the shop use in order to minimize their cost. SOLUTION TO PROBLEM NUMBER 4 let x = the number of pounds of fertilizer A. let y = the number of pounds of fertilizer B. the objective function is to minimize the cost. the objective function becomes: c = .97x + 1.89y the constraint equations are: since the number of pounds of each fertilizer can't be negative, 2 of the constraint equations become: x >= 0 y >= 0 since the number of units of phosphate has to be at least 45, the constraint equation for phosphate becomes: 5x + 3y >= 45 since the number of units of nitrate must be at least 36, the constraint equation for nitrates becomes:

2x + 3y >= 36 since the number of units of ammonium must be at least 40, the constraint equation for ammonium becomes: 2x + 5y >= 40 the constraint equations for this problem become: x >= 0 y >= 0 5x + 3y >= 45 2x + 3y >= 36 2x + 5y >= 40 in order to graph these equations, you have to solve for y in each equation that has y in it and then graph the equality portion of those equations. the equations to be graphed are: x >= 0 y >= 0 y >= (45-5x)/3 y >= (36 - 2x)/3 y >= (40-2x)/5 x = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is a horizontal line that i the same line as the x-axis. a graph of your equation is shown below:

the feasibility region is the area of the graph that is shaded. all points within the region of feasibility meet the constraint requirements of the problem. the intersection points at the boundaries of the feasibility region are:
(0,15) (3,10) (15,2) (20,0)

the intersection points of the boundaries of the region of feasibility contain the minimum cost solution for the objective function in this problem. now that you have the intersection points, you can solve for the minimum cost equation which is the objective function of: c = .97x + 1.89y the following table shows the value of the cost equation at each of the intersection points.
intersection points (x,y) solution (0,15) (3,10) (15,2) ***** (20,0) 19.40 28.35 21.81 18.33 c = .97x + 1.89y minimum

the table suggests that we have a minimum cost solution when the value of x is equal to 15 and the value of y is equal 2. when x = 15 and y = 2, the number of pounds of potassium, nitrates, and ammonium are: phosphate = 5x + 3y = 5*15 + 3*2 = 75 + 6 = 81 nitrate = 2x + 3y = 2*15 + 3*2 = 30 + 6 = 36 ammonium = 2x + 5y = 2*15 + 5*2 = 30 + 10 = 40 all the constraints associated with the minimum cost objective have been met.

QUESTION NUMBER 2 Fred's Coffee sells two blends of beans: Yusip Blend and Exotic Blend. Yusip Blend is one-half Costa Rican beans and one-half Ethiopian beans. Exotic Blend is onequarter Costa Rican beans and three-quarters Ethiopian beans. Profit on the Yusip Blend is $3.50 per pound, while profit on the Exotic Blend is $4.00 per pound. Each day Fred receives a shipment of 200 pounds of Costa Rican beans and 330 pounds of Ethiopian beans to use for the two blends. How many pounds of each blend should be prepared each day to maximize profit? What is the maximum profit? let x = number of pounds of yusip blend. let y = number of pounds of exotic blend. profit equation is: profit = 3.5x + 4y set up a table as follows:
yusip blend exotic blend costa rican .5 .25 ethiopean .5 .75

your constraint equations are: x >= 0 y >= 0 .5x + .25y <= 200 .5x + .75y <= 330 to graph these equations, solve for y in those equations that have y in

them to get; x >= 0 y >= 0 y <= (200 - .5x) / .25 y <= (330 - .5x) / .75 x = 0 is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is the same line as the x-axis. your graph is shown below:

the shaded area is the area of on the graph that meets all the constraints. this is called the region of feasibility.

your maximum / minimum solution will be at the intersection of the lines that bound this region of feasibility. the intersection points are: (0,0) (0,440) (270,260) (400,0) your profit equation is: profit = 3.5x + 4.0y profit is calculated at each intersection point as follows:
intersection point (0,0) (0,440) (270,260) (400,0) profit 3.5*0 + 3.5*0 + 3.5*270 3.5*400 4.0*0 = 0 4.0*440 = 1750 + 4.0*260 = 1985 ***** + 4.0*0 = 1400

your maximum profit is when you sell 270 pounds of yusip blend and 260 pounds of exotic blend. QUESTION NUMBER 3 The Mapple store sells Mapple computers and printers. The computers are shipped in 12-cubic-foot boxes and printers in 8-cubic-foot boxes. The Mapple store estimates that at least 30 computers can be sold each month and that the number of computers sold will be at least 50% more than the number of printers. The computers cost the store $1000 each and are sold for a profit of $1000. The printers cost $300 each and are sold for a profit of $350. The store has a storeroom that can hold 1000 cubic feet and can spend $70,000 each month on computers and printers. How man

computers and how many printers should be sold each month to maximize profit? What is the maximum profit? let x = number of computers. let y = number of printers. your profit equation is: profit = 1000x + 350y your constraint equations are: x >= 0 y >= 0 x >= 30 (minimum number of computers sold each month) x >= 1.5y (ratio of computers to printers) 12x + 8y <= 1000 (storage available) 1000x + 300y <= 70,000 (amount of money available to spend) in order to graph the constraint equations, you need to solve for y in those equations that have y in them and then graph the equality portion of each of these equations. x >= 0 y >= 0 x >= 30 (minimum number of computers sold each month) y <= x/1.5 (ratio of computers to printers) y <= (1000-12x)/8 (storage available) y <= (70,000-1000x)/300 (amount of money available to spend) x = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is a horizontal line that is the same line as the x-axis. x = 30 is a vertical line at x = 30. your graph is shown below:

your profit equation is: profit = 1000x + 350y profit is calculated at each intersection point as follows:
intersection point (30,20) (70,0) (57.692308,38.461538) (59.090909,36.363636) profit 37,000 70,000 71,153.8463 71,818.1816 *****

your maximum profit is when you sell 59.090909 computers and 36.363636 printers. since this is not possible, then you need to find the closest integers that will provide the maximum profit and still stay within the boundaries of the constraints. your possible integer combinations around the maximum profit point are:

profit requirements (59,36) (59,37) storage and cost (60,36) storage and cost (60,37) storage and cost 71,600 71,950 72,600 72,600

storage 996 1004 1008 1016

cost 69,800 70,100 70,800 71,100

meets yes exceeds exceeds exceeds

your minimum cost integer solution occurs when 59 computers are sold and 36 printers are sold the ratio requirements are at least 1.5 computers for every printer. 59/36 = 1.63888 exceeds that ratio requirements as well. QUESTION NUMBER 4 The Appliance Barn has 2400 cubic feet of storage space for refrigerators. Large refrigerators come in 60-cubic-foot packing crates and small refrigerators come in 40-cubicfoot crates. Large refrigerators can be sold for a $250 profit and the smaller ones can be sold for $150 profit. How many of each type of refrigerator should be sold to maximize profit and what is the maximum profit if: a) At least 50 refrigerators must be sold each month. b) At least 40 refrigerators must be sold each month. c) There are no restrictions on what must be sold. let x = number of large refrigerators let y = number of small refrigerators your profit equation is: 250x + 150y your constraint equations are: 60x + 40y <= 2400 (storage) x + y >= 50 (part a minimum sold)

x + y >= 40 (part b minimum sold) to graph these constraints, you need to solve for y in those equations that have y in them and then graph the equality portions of those equations. y <= (2400 - 60x) / 40 (storage) y >= 50 - x (part a minimum sold) y >= 40 - x (part b minimum sold) x = 0 is the vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is the horizontal line that is the same line as the x-axis. the graph of your part a equation looks like this:

the graph of your part b equations looks like this:

the graph of your part c equations looks like this:

your profit equation is: profit = 250x + 150y your maximum minimum solutions will be at the intersection points of the lines that are the boundaries of the area of feasibility. the area of feasibility is the area on the graph that meets all the constraints. profit is calculated at each intersection point as follows:
intersection point part a: (0,60) (0,50) (20,30) part b: (0,60) (0,40) profit 9000 7500 9500 ***** 9000 6000

(40,0) part c: (0,0) (0,60) (40,0)

10,000 ***** 0 9000 10,000 *****

your maximum profit for part a is when you sell 20 large refrigerators and 30 small refrigerators for a total of 9500. your maximum profit for part b is when you sell 40 large refrigerators and 0 small refrigerators fo a total of 10,000. your maximum profit for part c is the same as for part b. QUESTION NUMBER 5 Shannon's Chocolates produces semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips at its plants in Wichita, KS and Moore, OK. The Wichita plant produces 3000 pounds of semisweet chips and 2000 pounds of milk chocolate chips each day at a cost of $1000, while the Moore plant produces 1000 pounds of semisweet chips and 6000 pounds of milk chocolate chips each day at a cost of $1500. Shannon has an order from Food Box Supermarkets for at least 30,000 pounds of semisweet chips and 60,000 pounds of milk chocolate chips. How should Shannon schedule its production so that it can fill the order at minimum cost? What is the minimum cost? let x = number of days of production at wichita plant. let y = number of days of production at moore plant. your cost equation is: cost = 1000x + 1500y make a table as follows:
semisweet milk

wichita moore

3000 1000

2000 6000

your constraint equations are: x >= 0 y >= 0 3000x + 1000y >= 30,000 2000x + 6000y >= 60,000 to graph these equations, solve for y in those equations where y is present and then graph the equality portion of those equations. y = (30,000 - 3000x) / 1000 y = (60,000 - 2000x) / 6000 x = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the y-axis. y = 0 is a vertical line that is the same line as the x-axis. a graph of your equation looks like this:

your cost equation is: cost = 1000x + 1500y cost is calculated at each intersection point as follows:
intersection point (0,30) (30,0) (7.5,7.5) cost 45,000 30,000 18,750 *****

your minimum cost is 18,750. this occurs when wichita plant takes 7.5 days and moore plant takes 7.5 days.

MINIMIZATION

Linear programming solution examples Linear programming example 1997 UG exam A company makes two products (X and Y) using two machines (A and B). Each unit of X that is produced requires 50 minutes processing time on machine A and 30 minutes processing time on machine B. Each unit of Y that is produced requires 24 minutes processing time on machine A and 33 minutes processing time on machine B. At the start of the current week there are 30 units of X and 90 units of Y in stock. Available processing time on machine A is forecast to be 40 hours and on machine B is forecast to be 35 hours. The demand for X in the current week is forecast to be 75 units and for Y is forecast to be 95 units. Company policy is to maximise the combined sum of the units of X and the units of Y in stock at the end of the week.

Formulate the problem of deciding how much of each product to make in the current week as a linear program. Solve this linear program graphically.

Solution Let

x be the number of units of X produced in the current week y be the number of units of Y produced in the current week

then the constraints are:


50x + 24y <= 40(60) machine A time 30x + 33y <= 35(60) machine B time x >= 75 - 30 i.e. x >= 45 so production of X >= demand (75) - initial stock (30), which ensures we meet demand y >= 95 - 90 i.e. y >= 5 so production of Y >= demand (95) - initial stock (90), which ensures we meet demand

The objective is: maximise (x+30-75) + (y+90-95) = (x+y-50) i.e. to maximise the number of units left in stock at the end of the week

It is plain from the diagram below that the maximum occurs at the intersection of x=45 and 50x + 24y = 2400

Solving simultaneously, rather than by reading values off the graph, we have that x=45 and y=6.25 with the value of the objective function being 1.25

Linear programming example 1995 UG exam The demand for two products in each of the last four weeks is shown below.
Week 1 2 3 4 23 27 34 40 11 13 15 14

Demand - product 1 Demand - product 2

Apply exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant of 0.7 to generate a forecast for the demand for these products in week 5. These products are produced using two machines, X and Y. Each unit of product 1 that is produced requires 15 minutes processing on machine X and 25 minutes

processing on machine Y. Each unit of product 2 that is produced requires 7 minutes processing on machine X and 45 minutes processing on machine Y. The available time on machine X in week 5 is forecast to be 20 hours and on machine Y in week 5 is forecast to be 15 hours. Each unit of product 1 sold in week 5 gives a contribution to profit of 10 and each unit of product 2 sold in week 5 gives a contribution to profit of 4. It may not be possible to produce enough to meet your forecast demand for these products in week 5 and each unit of unsatisfied demand for product 1 costs 3, each unit of unsatisfied demand for product 2 costs 1.

Formulate the problem of deciding how much of each product to make in week 5 as a linear program. Solve this linear program graphically.

Solution Note that the first part of the question is a forecasting question so it is solved below. For product 1 applying exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant of 0.7 we get: M1 = Y1 = 23 M2 = 0.7Y2 + 0.3M1 = 0.7(27) + 0.3(23) = 25.80 M3 = 0.7Y3 + 0.3M2 = 0.7(34) + 0.3(25.80) = 31.54 M4 = 0.7Y4 + 0.3M3 = 0.7(40) + 0.3(31.54) = 37.46 The forecast for week five is just the average for week 4 = M4 = 37.46 = 31 (as we cannot have fractional demand). For product 2 applying exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant of 0.7 we get: M1 = Y1 = 11 M2 = 0.7Y2 + 0.3M1 = 0.7(13) + 0.3(11) = 12.40 M3 = 0.7Y3 + 0.3M2 = 0.7(15) + 0.3(12.40) = 14.22 M4 = 0.7Y4 + 0.3M3 = 0.7(14) + 0.3(14.22) = 14.07 The forecast for week five is just the average for week 4 = M4 = 14.07 = 14 (as we cannot have fractional demand).

We can now formulate the LP for week 5 using the two demand figures (37 for product 1 and 14 for product 2) derived above. Let x1 be the number of units of product 1 produced x2 be the number of units of product 2 produced where x1, x2>=0 The constraints are: 15x1 + 7x2 <= 20(60) machine X 25x1 + 45x2 <= 15(60) machine Y x1 <= 37 demand for product 1 x2 <= 14 demand for product 2 The objective is to maximise profit, i.e. maximise 10x1 + 4x2 - 3(37- x1) - 1(14-x2) i.e. maximise 13x1 + 5x2 - 125 The graph is shown below, from the graph we have that the solution occurs on the horizontal axis (x2=0) at x1=36 at which point the maximum profit is 13(36) + 5(0) 125 = 343

Linear programming example 1994 UG exam A company is involved in the production of two items (X and Y). The resources need to produce X and Y are twofold, namely machine time for automatic processing and craftsman time for hand finishing. The table below gives the number of minutes required for each item:
Item X Y Machine time Craftsman time 13 20 19 29

The company has 40 hours of machine time available in the next working week but only 35 hours of craftsman time. Machine time is costed at 10 per hour worked and craftsman time is costed at 2 per hour worked. Both machine and craftsman idle times incur no costs. The revenue received for each item produced (all production is sold) is 20 for X and 30 for Y. The company has a specific contract to produce 10 items of X per week for a particular customer.

Formulate the problem of deciding how much to produce per week as a linear program. Solve this linear program graphically.

Solution Let

x be the number of items of X y be the number of items of Y

then the LP is: maximise

20x + 30y - 10(machine time worked) - 2(craftsman time worked)

subject to:

13x + 19y <= 40(60) machine time 20x + 29y <= 35(60) craftsman time x >= 10 contract x,y >= 0

so that the objective function becomes maximise

20x + 30y - 10(13x + 19y)/60 - 2(20x + 29y)/60

i.e. maximise

17.1667x + 25.8667y

subject to:

13x + 19y <= 2400 20x + 29y <= 2100 x >= 10 x,y >= 0

It is plain from the diagram below that the maximum occurs at the intersection of x=10 and 20x + 29y <= 2100

Solving simultaneously, rather than by reading values off the graph, we have that x=10 and y=65.52 with the value of the objective function being 1866.5

Linear programming example 1992 UG exam A company manufactures two products (A and B) and the profit per unit sold is 3 and 5 respectively. Each product has to be assembled on a particular machine, each unit of product A taking 12 minutes of assembly time and each unit of product B 25 minutes of assembly time. The company estimates that the machine used for assembly has an effective working week of only 30 hours (due to maintenance/breakdown). Technological constraints mean that for every five units of product A produced at least two units of product B must be produced.

Formulate the problem of how much of each product to produce as a linear program.

Solve this linear program graphically. The company has been offered the chance to hire an extra machine, thereby doubling the effective assembly time available. What is the maximum amount you would be prepared to pay (per week) for the hire of this machine and why?

Solution Let xA = number of units of A produced xB = number of units of B produced then the constraints are: 12xA + 25xB <= 30(60) (assembly time) xB >= 2(xA/5) i.e. xB - 0.4xA >= 0 i.e. 5xB >= 2xA (technological) where xA, xB >= 0 and the objective is maximise 3xA + 5xB It is plain from the diagram below that the maximum occurs at the intersection of 12xA + 25xB = 1800 and xB - 0.4xA = 0

Solving simultaneously, rather than by reading values off the graph, we have that: xA= (1800/22) = 81.8 xB= 0.4xA = 32.7 with the value of the objective function being 408.9 Doubling the assembly time available means that the assembly time constraint (currently 12xA + 25xB <= 1800) becomes 12xA + 25xB <= 2(1800) This new constraint will be parallel to the existing assembly time constraint so that the new optimal solution will lie at the intersection of 12xA + 25xB = 3600 and xB - 0.4xA = 0 i.e. at xA = (3600/22) = 163.6 xB= 0.4xA = 65.4 with the value of the objective function being 817.8

Hence we have made an additional profit of (817.8-408.9) = 408.9 and this is the maximum amount we would be prepared to pay for the hire of the machine for doubling the assembly time. This is because if we pay more than this amount then we will reduce our maximum profit below the 408.9 we would have made without the new machine.

Linear programming example 1988 UG exam Solve minimise 4a + 5b + 6c subject to a + b >= 11 a - b <= 5 c-a-b=0 7a >= 35 - 12b a >= 0 b >= 0 c >= 0 Solution To solve this LP we use the equation c-a-b=0 to put c=a+b (>= 0 as a >= 0 and b >= 0) and so the LP is reduced to minimise 4a + 5b + 6(a + b) = 10a + 11b subject to a + b >= 11 a - b <= 5

7a + 12b >= 35 a >= 0 b >= 0 From the diagram below the minimum occurs at the intersection of a - b = 5 and a + b = 11 i.e. a = 8 and b = 3 with c (= a + b) = 11 and the value of the objective function 10a + 11b = 80 + 33 = 113.

Linear programming example 1987 UG exam Solve the following linear program: maximise 5x1 + 6x2 subject to

x1 + x2 <= 10 x1 - x2 >= 3 5x1 + 4x2 <= 35 x1 >= 0 x2 >= 0 Solution It is plain from the diagram below that the maximum occurs at the intersection of 5x1 + 4x2 = 35 and x1 - x2 = 3 Solving simultaneously, rather than by reading values off the graph, we have that 5(3 + x2) + 4x2 = 35 i.e. 15 + 9x2 = 35 i.e. x2 = (20/9) = 2.222 and x1 = 3 + x2 = (47/9) = 5.222 The maximum value is 5(47/9) + 6(20/9) = (355/9) = 39.444

Linear programming example 1986 UG exam A carpenter makes tables and chairs. Each table can be sold for a profit of 30 and each chair for a profit of 10. The carpenter can afford to spend up to 40 hours per week working and takes six hours to make a table and three hours to make a chair. Customer demand requires that he makes at least three times as many chairs as tables. Tables take up four times as much storage space as chairs and there is room for at most four tables each week. Formulate this problem as a linear programming problem and solve it graphically. Solution Variables Let xT = number of tables made per week

xC = number of chairs made per week Constraints

total work time

6xT + 3xC <= 40

customer demand

xC >= 3xT

storage space

(xC/4) + xT <= 4

all variables >= 0

Objective maximise 30xT + 10xC The graphical representation of the problem is given below and from that we have that the solution lies at the intersection of (xC/4) + xT = 4 and 6xT + 3xC = 40 Solving these two equations simultaneously we get xC = 10.667, xT = 1.333 and the corresponding profit = 146.667

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