Lecture E - Linear Programming Problems

Linear programming example 1
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:
Machine time Craftsman time

Item X 13 20
Y 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 rupees10 per
hour worked and craftsman time is costed at rupees 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 rupees 20 for X and rupees 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 rupees
1866.5
A company manufactures two products (A and B) and the profit per unit sold is
rupees 3 and rupees 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

of 12xA + 25xB = 1800 and xB - 0.4xA = 0
that:
xA= (1800/22) = 81.8
xB= 0.4xA = 32.7
with the value of the objective function being rupees 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 12x A + 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 rupees 817.8
Hence we have made an additional profit of rupees (817.8-408.9) = rupees

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 rupees 408.9 we would have made without the
new machine.

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.

Solve the following linear program:
maximise 5x1 + 6x2
subject to
x1 + x2 <= 10
x1 - x2 >= 3
5x1 + 4x2 <= 35
x1 >= 0
x2 >= 0
Solution
of
5x1 + 4x2 = 35 and
x1 - x2 = 3
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

A carpenter makes tables and chairs. Each table can be sold for a profit of
rupees 30 and each chair for a profit of rupees 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 = rupees 146.667
Additional problems for exercise: Chapter 2 of Operation
Research book by H A Taha

Lecture E - Linear Programming Problems

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Lecture E - Linear Programming Problems

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Linear programming example 1

Machine time Craftsman time

 Formulate the problem of deciding how much to produce per week as a

 x be the number of items of X

then the LP is:

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

 13x + 19y <= 40(60) machine time

so that the objective function becomes

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

 13x + 19y <= 2400

 Formulate the problem of how much of each product to produce as a

xA = number of units of A produced

xB = number of units of B produced

then the constraints are:

12xA + 25xB <= 30(60) (assembly time)

i.e. xB - 0.4xA >= 0

i.e. 5xB >= 2xA (technological)

where xA, xB >= 0

and the objective is

maximise 3xA + 5xB

xA= (1800/22) = 81.8

xB= 0.4xA = 32.7

with the value of the objective function being rupees 408.9

i.e. at xA = (3600/22) = 163.6

xB= 0.4xA = 65.4

Hence we have made an additional profit of rupees (817.8-408.9) = rupees

Linear programming example 3

a >= 0 b >= 0 c >= 0

4a + 5b + 6(a + b) = 10a + 11b

i.e. a = 8 and b = 3 with c (= a + b) = 11 and the value of the objective function

Linear programming example 4

maximise 5x1 + 6x2

5x1 + 4x2 <= 35

5x1 + 4x2 = 35 and

5(3 + x2) + 4x2 = 35

i.e. x2 = (20/9) = 2.222 and

The maximum value is 5(47/9) + 6(20/9) = (355/9) = 39.444

Formulate this problem as a linear programming problem and solve it

xT = number of tables made per week

xC = number of chairs made per week

 total work time

6xT + 3xC <= 40

 all variables >= 0

maximise 30xT + 10xC

(xC/4) + xT = 4 and 6xT + 3xC = 40

Solving these two equations simultaneously we get xC = 10.667, xT = 1.333 and

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