Exam 20: The Simplex Method of Linear Programming

Find the minimum cost shipping solution for the transportation problem data set in the table below. Provide a table of shipping quantities and the minimum value for the objective function.

The larger a transportation problem (that is, as the problem has more rows and more columns), the smaller the fraction of all possible routes that will be filled in a solved problem. Explain.

How might the transportation method be used to help a firm add a facility to an existing distribution network? You may wish to describe a simple example.

A feasible solution in transportation models is one in which all of the supply and demand constraints are satisfied.

The __________ finds the least-cost means of shipping supplies from several origins to several destinations.

The information needs of a transportation problem include

The __________ is an iterative technique for moving from an initial feasible solution to an optimal solution in the transportation method.

What purpose does the northwest-corner rule serve?

A transportation problem has an optimal solution when

In a transportation problem, degeneracy means that

For the problem below, what is the quantity assigned to the cell Source 1-Destination 2 using the intuitive method for an initial feasible solution?

The northwest-corner rule is best used

A transportation problem has 4 origins and 2 destinations. The optimal solution of this problem will fill no more than __________ cells with quantities to be shipped.

A transportation problem that has more units supplied than demanded will require a(n) __________ to balance the problem.

Consider the transportation data set for a minimization problem below. a. Calculate the initial solution using the northwest-corner rule. b. Calculate improvement indices, iterate, and solve for the optimal shipping pattern.

In a minimization problem, a negative improvement index in a cell indicates that the

A transportation problem with a total supply of 500 and a total demand of 400 will have an optimal solution that leaves 100 units of supply unused.

When using the stepping stone method for a minimization problem, the number of units that reallocates corresponds to the smallest number found in the cells containing minus signs.

What does the stepping-stone method do?

The Shamrock Transportation Company has four terminals: A, B, C, and D. At the start of a particular day, there are 8, 8, 6, and 3 tractors available at those terminals, respectively. During the previous night, trailers were loaded at plants R, S, T, and U. The number of trailers at each plant is 2, 12, 5, and 6, respectively. The company dispatcher has determined the distances between each terminal and each plant, as follows. How many tractors should be dispatched from each terminal to each plant in order to minimize the total number of miles traveled?