Department of Mechanical Engineering

Operation Research (ME-523)

M.Engg. (Design) Evening Programme
Assignment # 02

Question # 01:
Solve the transportation problem given below by Northwest corner method.

Plant Cost in Rs. Per unit Available

Destinations capacity
A B C
2 1 2
X 20

3 4 1
Y 40

Requirements 20 15 25 60

Question # 02:
Four factories, A, B, C and D produce sugar and the capacity of each factory is given below:
Factory A produces 10 tons of sugar and B produces 8 tons of sugar, C produces 5 tons of sugar
and that of D is 6 tons of sugar. The sugar has demand in three markets X, Y and Z. The demand
of market X is 7 tons, that of market Y is 12 tons and the demand of market Z is 4 tons. The
following matrix gives the transportation cost of 1 ton of sugar from each factory to the
destinations. Find the Optimal Solution for least cost transportation cost. Solve the following
problem of Transportation by using (i) North West Corner Method (NWCM), (ii) Least (Lowest)
Cost Entry Method (LCEM), (iii) Vogel’s Approximation Method (VAM), and (iv) Modified
Distribution Method (MODI).

Factories. Cost in Rs. per ton (× 100) Availability in

Markets tons.
X Y Z
A 4 3 2 10
B 5 6 1 8
C 6 4 3 5
D 3 5 4 6
Requirement in
7 12 4 75
tons.

Question # 03:
Obtain an Initial basic feasible solution to the following Transportation problem using (i) North
West Corner Method, (ii) Lowest Cost Entry Method, and (iii) Vogel’s Approximation Method.

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 Destinations
Origin 1 2 3 4 Supply
1 20 22 17 4 120
2 24 37 9 7 70
3 32 37 20 15 50
Demand 60 40 30 110 240

Question # 04:
Find the optimum transportation schedule and minimum total cost of transportation.

D1 D2 D3 ai
O1 10 7 8 40
O2 15 12 9 15
O3 7 8 12 40
bj 25 55 20

Question # 05:
It costs $40 to buy a telephone from the department store. Assume that I can keep a telephone
for at most five years and that the estimated maintenance cost each year of operation is as
follows: year 1, $20; year 2, $30; year 3, $40; year 4, $60; year 5, $70. I have just purchased a
new telephone. Assuming that a telephone has no salvage value, determine how to minimize the
total cost of purchasing and operating a telephone for the next six years.

Question # 06:

Figure 1 shows the network for Problem. Find the maximum flow from source to sink in each
network. Find a cut in the network whose capacity equals the maximum flow in the network.
Also, set up an LP that could be used to determine the maximum flow in the network.

Figure 1

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Question # 07:
A project consists of the following activities as tabulated below:

Activity Preceding Activity

A -
B -
C -
D A
E A
F B
G B
H C, F
I D, G, H

Construct the network of the above project using activity-on-arrow diagram.

Question # 08:
The network shows a list of activities which must be done in order to complete a building
project. The duration of each activity is in weeks.

Identify all possible paths together with their duration through the network.

Question # 09:
For the network diagram below use:
i. Forward and backward pass method, and
ii. Possible routes method to calculate the critical path method.

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Question # 10:
Consider the project network in Figure. For each activity, you are given the estimates of a, b,
and m in Table. Determine the critical path for this network, the total float for each activity, the
free float for each activity, and the probability that the project is completed within 40 days.
Also set up the LP that could be used to find the critical path.

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a = estimate of the activity’s duration under the most favorable conditions
b = estimate of the activity’s duration under the least favorable conditions
m = most likely value for the activity’s duration

Question # 11:
The promoter of a rock concert in Indianapolis must perform the tasks shown in Table before
the concert can be held (all durations are in days).
i. Draw the project network.
ii. Determine the critical path.
iii. If the advance promoter wants to have a 99% chance of completing all preparations
by June 30, when should work begin on finding a concert site?
iv. Set up the LP that could be used to find the project’s critical path.

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 a = estimate of the activity’s duration under the most favorable conditions
b = estimate of the activity’s duration under the least favorable conditions
m = most likely value for the activity’s duration

Final Date of Assignment Submission: Monday 17th February, 2020 (Submit individually any six questions)