E.G.S.

PILLAY ENGINEERING COLLEGE QB

(Autonomous)
Regulations 2019
Nagapattinam – 611 002
Mechanical
Year/Semester: III / IV

Course Code:1901MGX03 Course Name: OPERATIONS RESEARCH

PART A (Marks: 02) Marks CO BTL

Course Outcome: 01 (Apply the fundamental concepts of linear programming to formulate and solve
real-world optimization problems using graphical and simplex methods.)
1 Explain operations research. 2 CO1 L2
2 Mention any four applications of operations research. 2 CO1 L1
3 Write the standard form of LPP. 2 CO1 L1
4 Describe feasible solution. 2 CO1 L2
5 Describe optimal solution. 2 CO1 L2
6 Explain unbounded solution. 2 CO1 L2
7 Describe how feasible solution differs from a basic feasible solution. 2 CO1 L2
8 Write the limitations of LPP. 2 CO1 L1
9 Explain the following terms: slack and surplus variables. 2 CO1 L2
10 Describe optimality. 2 CO1 L2
Course Outcome: 02 (Make use of transportation and assignment techniques for optimization.)
1 Describe the transportation problem (T.P.). 2 CO2 L2
2 List the approaches used with T.P. for determining the starting solution. 2 CO2 L1
3 How do you convert an unbalanced T.P. into a balanced one? 2 CO2 L2
4 List the merits and limitations of using North-west corner rule. 2 CO2 L1
5 Vogel’s approximation method results in the most economical initial basic feasible
2 CO2 L2
solution. Why?
6 Explain the assignment problem and give two applications. 2 CO2 L2
7 Describe unbalanced assignment problem. 2 CO2 L2
8 State the difference between the T.P. and the A.P. 2 CO2 L1
9 How do you convert the maximization assignment problem into a minimization one? 2 CO2 L2
10 Write the objective of the travelling salesman problem. 2 CO2 L1
Course Outcome: 03 (Apply network optimization techniques and inventory control methods to solve
problems related to supply chains processes.)
1 How would you define a project? 2 CO3 L1
2 Explain a dummy activity, and when is it needed? 2 CO3 L2
3 Distinguish between PERT and CPM. 2 CO3 L2
4 Explain the term total float. 2 CO3 L2
5 Describe the expected variance of a project length. 2 CO3 L2
6 Write the main objectives of an inventory model. 2 CO3 L1
7 Explain economic order quantity (EOQ). 2 CO3 L2
8 Describe re-order level. 2 CO3 L2
9 Describe buffer stock or safety stock. 2 CO3 L2
10 Distinguish between deterministic model and probabilistic model. 2 CO3 L2
Course Outcome: 04 (Develop strategic decisions using game theory and replacement models.)
1 How would you describe a game? 2 CO4 L2
2 Explain two-person zero sum game. 2 CO4 L2
3 Distinguish between pure and mixed strategies. 2 CO4 L2
4 Explain the term saddle point. 2 CO4 L2
5 How would you describe the concept of strategy? 2 CO4 L2
6 When should the replacement be done? 2 CO4 L1
7 Describe the term salvage value. 2 CO4 L2
8 Differentiate between group replacement and individual replacement. 2 CO4 L2
9 Describe briefly some of the replacement policies. 2 CO4 L2
10 Explain the concept of group replacement. 2 CO4 L2
Course Outcome: 05 (Apply queuing theory concepts to real-world scenarios by identifying the
appropriate models for various service systems.)
1 How would you describe a queue. 2 CO5 L2
2 Explain Kendall’s notation. 2 CO5 L2
3 How is the term "arrival rate" defined in a queueing system? 2 CO5 L1
4 Write Little’s formula. 2 CO5 L1
5 Describe the term balking. 2 CO5 L2
6 Describe the term jockeying. 2 CO5 L2
7 Explain the terms: transient and steady state. 2 CO5 L2
8 Explain traffic intensity or utilization factor. 2 CO5 L2
9 Give the formula for probability of ‘n’ units in the system under single server, FCFS 2
CO5 L2
discipline.
10 What is the average waiting time in the M/M/1 queue? 2 CO5 L2
 PART B (Marks: 16) Marks CO BTL
Course Outcome: 01 (Apply the fundamental concepts of linear programming to formulate and solve
real-world optimization problems using graphical and simplex methods.)
1 Solve the following LPP by graphical method. 16 CO1 L3
Maximize Z = 6x1 + 8x2
Subject to, 5x1 + 10x2 ≤ 60
4x1 + 4x2 ≤ 40
x1, x2 ≥ 0
2 Solve the following LPP by graphical method. 16 CO1 L3
Minimize Z = 20x1 + 10x2
Subject to, x1 + 2x2 ≤ 40
3x1 + x2 ≥ 30
4x1 + 3x2 ≥ 60
x1, x2 ≥ 0
3 Solve the following LP problem using simplex method. 16 CO1 L3
Maximize Z = 3x1 + 2x2 + 5x3
Subject to, x1 + x2 + x3 ≤ 9
2x1 + 3x2 + 5x3 ≤ 30
2x1 – x2 – x3 ≤ 8
x1, x2, x3 ≥ 0
4 Use simplex method to solve the LPP. 16 CO1 L3
Minimize Z = x2 – 3x3 + 2x5
Subject to, 3x2 – x3 + 2x5 ≤ 7
– 2x2 + 4x3 ≤ 12
– 4x2 + 3x3 + 8x5 ≤ 10
x2, x3, x5 ≥ 0
5 Solve the following LP problem using dual simplex method. 16 CO1 L2
Minimize Z = x1 + 2x2 + 3x3
Subject to, 2x1 – x2 + x3 ≥ 4
x1 + x2 + 2x3 ≤ 8
x2 – x3 ≥ 2
x1, x2 and x3 ≥ 0
6 Consider the following linear programming model and solve it using the two-phase 16 CO1 L3
method.
Minimize Z = 12x1 + 18x2 + 15x3
Subject to 4x1 + 8x2 + 6x3 ≥ 64
3x1 + 6x2 + 12x3 ≥ 96
x1, x2 and x3 ≥ 0
Course Outcome: 02 (Make use of transportation and assignment techniques for optimization.)
1 Determine an initial basic feasible solution to the following transportation problem 16 CO2 L3
using NWCR. Also find the optimum solution by MODI method.
Destination

A B C Supply
1 2 7 4 5
2 3 3 1 8
Source
3 5 4 7 7
4 1 6 2 14
Demand 7 9 18 34

2 Solve the following transportation problem using least cost method (LCM). Also find 16 CO2 L3
the optimum solution. Where the cell entries denote the unit transportation costs.
Destination

A B C D Supply
P 5 4 2 6 20
Origin Q 8 3 5 7 30
R 5 9 4 6 50
Demand 10 40 20 30 100

3 Solve the following T.P and Find initial basic feasible solution by VAM. Also obtain 16 CO2 L3
the optimum solution.
Destination

A B C D Supply
1 11 20 7 8 50
Source 2 21 16 20 12 40
3 8 12 8 9 70
Demand 30 25 35 40

4 A company has 5 jobs to be done on five machines. Any job can be done on any 16 CO2 L3
machine. The cost of doing the jobs on different machines are given below. Assign the
jobs for different machines so as to minimize the total cost.
Machines
Jobs
A B C D E
1 13 8 16 18 19
2 9 15 24 9 12
 3 12 9 4 4 4
4 6 12 10 8 13
5 15 17 18 12 20

5 The owner of a small machine shop has four mechanics available to assign jobs for 16 CO2 L3
the day. Five jobs are offered with expected profit for each mechanic on each jobs,
which are as follows:
Job
Mechanic
A B C D E
1 62 78 50 111 82
2 71 84 61 73 59
3 87 92 111 71 81
4 48 64 87 77 80
By using the assignment method, find the assignment of mechanics to the job that will
result in maximum profit. Which job should be declined?
6 A travelling salesman has to visit 5 cities. He wishes to start from a particular city, 16 CO2 L3
visit each city once and then return to his starting point. Cost of going from one city
to another is shown below. You are required to find the least cost route.
To City

A B C D E
1 ∞ 4 10 14 2

From 2 12 ∞ 6 10 4
City 3 16 14 ∞ 8 14
4 24 8 12 ∞ 10
5 2 6 4 16 ∞
Course Outcome: 03 (Apply network optimization techniques and inventory control methods to solve
problems related to supply chains processes.)
1 A small maintenance project consists of the following jobs, whose precedence 16 CO3 L3
relationships are given below.
Job 1–2 1–3 2–3 2–5 3–4 3–6 4–5 4–6 5–6 6–7
Duration
15 15 3 5 8 12 1 14 3 14
(days)
1. Draw an arrow diagram representing the project.
2. Find the total float for each activity.
3. Find the critical path and the total project duration.
2 Draw a network diagram corresponding to the following information. Obtain the early 16 CO3 L3
and late start and completion times. Also determine the critical path and duration of
the project.
Activity 1–2 1–3 2–6 3–4 3–5 4–6 5–6 5–7 6–7
Duration
4 6 8 7 4 6 5 19 10
(days)

3 Consider a project having the following activities and their time estimates. 16 CO3 L3
Optimistic time Most likely Pessimistic
Activity Predecessor (to) time (tm) time (tp)
(days) (days) (days)
A – 2 4 6
B A 8 12 16
C A 14 16 30
D B 4 10 16
E C,B 6 12 18
F E 6 8 22
G D 18 18 30
H F,G 8 14 32
Draw an arrow diagram for the project. Identify the critical path and compute the
expected completion time. What is the probability that the project will require at least
75 days?
4 The demand rate for an item in a company is 18000 units per year. The company can 16 CO3 L3
produce at the rate of 3000 units per month. The set-up cost is Rs. 500 per order and
the holding cost is Rs. 0.15 per unit, per month. Calculate,
i. Optimum manufacturing quantity
ii. The maximum inventory
iii. Time between orders
iv. The number of orders per year
v. The time of manufacture
vi. The optimum annual cost, if the cost of an item is Rs. 2 per unit.
5 The demand for an item in a company is 18000 units per year. The company can 16 CO3 L3
produce the items at a rate of 3000 per month. The cost of one set-up is Rs. 500 and
the holding cost of 1 unit per month is Rs. 0.15. The shortage cost of one unit is
Rs. 20 per year. Determine the optimum manufacturing quantity and the number of
 shortages. Also determine the manufacturing time and the time between setups.
6 In a two-wheeler manufacturing company, pistons are being fed into the main 16 CO3 L3
assembly line from a product line situated in the next bay. The annual demand for the
pistons is 8000 units and the annual production capacity of the product line
manufacturing the piston is 12000 units. The set-up cost is Rs.125 per set-up and the
carrying cost is Rs.4 per piston per year. The shortage cost is Rs.8 per piston per year.
Find the various parameters of the inventory system.
Course Outcome: 04 (Develop strategic decisions using game theory and replacement models.)
1 Solve the following 3×5 game using dominance property. 16 CO4 L3

Player B

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 5 10 7 2

Player A 2 3 3 6 6 4

3 4 4 8 12 1

2 Consider the payoff matrix of Player A as shown in table and solve this game 16 CO4 L3
optimally using graphical method.

Player B

1 2 3 4 5

Player A 1 3 6 8 4 4

2 –7 4 2 10 2

3 A machine owner finds from his past records that the costs per year of maintaining a 16 CO4 L3
machine, whose purchase price is Rs.6000 are as given below.
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Maintenance
1000 1200 1400 1800 2300 2800 3400 4000
Cost
Resale value 3000 1500 750 375 200 200 200 200
Determine at what age a replacement is due.
4 A manufacturer is offered two machines A and B. A is priced at Rs.50000 and running 16 CO4 L3
costs are estimated at Rs.8000 for each of the first five years, increasing by Rs.2000
per year in the sixth and subsequent years. Machine B of the same capacity costs
Rs.25000, but will have running costs of Rs.12000 per year for six years, increasing
by Rs.2000 per year thereafter. If money is worth 10 per cent per year, which machine
should be purchased?
5 A manufacturer is offered two machines A and B. A has cost price of Rs.2500, its 16 CO4 L3
running cost is Rs.400 for each of the first 5 years and increases by Rs.100 every
subsequent year. Machine B, having the same capacity as A, costs Rs.1250 has
running cost of Rs.600 for 6 years, increasing by Rs.100 per year thereafter. If money
is worth 10% per year, which machine should be purchased? Scrap value of both
 machines is negligibly small.
6 A machine cost Rs.15,000. The running cost for the different years are given below: 16 CO4 L3
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Running cost 2500 3000 4000 5000 6500 8000 10000
Find the optimum replacement period if the capital is worth 10% per annum and has
no salvage value.
Course Outcome: 05 (Apply queuing theory concepts to real-world scenarios by identifying the
appropriate models for various service systems.)
1 The arrival rate of customers at the single window booking counter of a two-wheeler 16 CO5 L3
agency follows Poisson distribution and the service time follows exponential
(negative) distribution and hence, the service rate also follows Poisson distribution.
The arrival rate and the service rate are 25 customers per hour and 35 customers per
hour, respectively. Find the following:
i. Utilization of the booking clerk.
ii. Average number of waiting customers in the queue.
iii. Average number of waiting customers in the system.
iv. Average waiting time per customer in the queue.
v. Average waiting time per customer in the system.
2 At a central warehouse, vehicles arrive at the rate of 18 per hour and the arrival rate 16 CO5 L3
follows Poisson distribution. The unloading time of the vehicles follows exponential
distribution and the unloading rate is 6 vehicles per hour. There are 4 unloading crews.
Find the following:
i. P0 and P3
ii. Lq , Ls , Wq , and Ws
3 There are four booking counters in a railway station. The arrival rate of customers 16 CO5 L3
follows Poisson distribution and it is 30 per hour. The service rate also follows Poisson
distribution and it is 10 customers per hour. Find the following:
i. Average waiting number of customers in the queue as well as in the system.
ii. Average waiting time per customers in the queue as well as in the system.
4 There are three docks in a harbour. The arrival rate of ships follows Poisson 16 CO5 L3
distribution and it is 36 ships per month. The service rate (loading and unloading of
containers) also follows Poisson distribution and it is 13 ships per month. The waiting
space in the harbour can accommodate a maximum of 10 ships. Find the following:
i. Average waiting number of ships in the queue as well as in the system.
ii. Average waiting time per ship in the queue as well as in the system.
5 There are five mechanics in an automobile workshop to do minor checkup for 16 CO5 L3
automobiles. The arrival rate of cars follows Poisson distribution and it is 15 cars per
hour. The service rate also follows Poisson distribution and it is 4 cars per hour. The
waiting space in the workshop can accommodate a maximum of 6cars. Find the
following:
i. Average waiting number of cars in the queue as well as in the system.
ii. Average waiting time per car in the queue as well as in the system.
6 A weighing station has single weighing bridge. The arrival rate of the vehicles coming 16 CO5 L3
to the weighing station follows Poisson distribution and it is 45 vehicles per hour. The
service rate also follows Poisson distribution and it is 55 vehicles per hour. In front of
the weighing bridge, the waiting space is sufficient for a maximum of 10 vehicles.
Find the following:
i. Average waiting number of vehicles in the queue in front of the weighing bridge
as well as in the weighing station.
 ii. Average waiting time per vehicle in front of the weighing bridge as well as in
the weighing station.

COURSE CO-ORDINATOR DOMAIN CO-ORDINATOR HoD / MECH.