QUESTION BANK --- OPERATIONS RESEARCH

1. Under what condition is it possible for an LPP to have more than one optimal solution? What
do these optimal solution represent?
2. What is unbound solution, and how does it occur in graphical method?
3. How is the concept of dominance used in simplifying the solution of a rectangular game?
4 What are the assumptions and limitations of a game theory?
5 Explain the difference between pure strategy and mixed strategy.
6. Critically comment on the assumptions on which PERT/CPM analysis is done for projects.
7 What is No passing rule in sequencing algorithm?

8.A manufacturing company is engaged in producing three types of products AB & C. The
production department produces each day components sufficient to make 50 units of A, 25
units of B & 30units of C. The management is confronted with the problem of optimizing the
daily production of products in assembly departments where only 100 man hours are
available daily to assemble the products. The following additional information is available.
Types of product
Profit contribution/ unit products (Rs)
Assemble time/ product
A
12
0.8
B
20
1.7
C
45
2.5
The company has a daily order commitment for producing 20 units of product A & a total of 15
units of product B&C. Formulate this problem as an LP model so as to maximize the total profit.
9. Given the LPP
Maximize Z= 3X1 +5X2
Subject to 3X1+2X2 18
X1
4
X2 6
X1, X2 0, Discuss the effect of optimality of the solution when the
objective function is changed to 3X1+X2

10. Goods have to be transported from sources S1 , S2 and S3, to destinations D1, D2 and D3.The
transportation cost per unit capacities of the sources and requirements of destinations are given in
the following table.
D1
D2
D3
Supply
S1
8
5
6
120
S2
15
10
12
80
S3
3
9
10
80
Demand
150
80
50
Determine the transportation schedule so that cost is minimized.
(5 + 5 = 10)
11. A city corporation has decided to carry out road repairs on main four arteries of the city. The
government has agreed to make a special grant of Rs 50 lakh towards the cost with a condition
that the repairs be done at the lowest cost and quickest time. If the conditions warrant, a
supplementary token grant will also be considered favorably. The corporation has floated tenders
and five contractors have sent in their bids. In order to expedite work, one road will be awarded
to only one contractor.
Cost of Repairs (Rs in lakh)
R1
R2
R3
R4
C1
9
14
19
15
Contractor /
C2
7
17
20
19
Road
C3
9
18
21
18
C4
10
12
18
19
C5
10
15
21
16
Find the best way of assigning the repair work to the contractors and the costs. It it is
necessary to seek supplementary grants, what should be the amount sought? Which
contractor will be unsuccessful in the bid?
12. A sales man located in a city A decided to travel to city B. he knew the distances of
alternative routes from city A to city B. He then drew a highway network map as shown
below. The city of origin, A, is city 1. The destination city B, is city 10. Other cities
through which the salesman will have to pass through are numbered 2 to 9. The arrow
representing routes between cities and distances in kilometers are indicated on each route.
Find the sales mans shortest route that covers all the selected cities from A to B.

13. Find an optimal sequence for the following sequencing problems of four jobs and five
machines when passing out is not allowed of which processing time(in hours) is given
below:
machines
Job
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
A
7
5
2
3
9
B
6
6
4
5
10
C
5
4
5
6
8
D
8
3
3
2
6
Also find the total elapsed time
14. Use the graphical method to minimize the time needed to process the following jobs on
the machine shown, i.e. each machine finds the job which should be done first. Also
calculate the total elapsed time to complete both the jobs.
Machine
Job 1
Sequence
A
B
C
D
E
Time (hrs)
5
4
2
6
2
Machine
Job 2
Sequence
B
C
A
D
E
Time (hrs)
5
4
3
2
6

15. For the following pay off matrix, transform the zero sum game into a linear programming
problem and solve it by using simplex method.
Player B
Player A
B1
B2
B3
A1
1
-1
3

A2
A3

3
6

5
2

-3
-2

16. An insurance company had decided to modernize its branch offices. Some of the existing
office equipments will be sold but the remaining will be returned to the branch of
completion of renovation work. Tenders are invited from a number of selected
contractors. The contractors will be responsible for all the activities in connection with
the renovation work excepting the prior removal of the old equipment and its subsequent
replacement.
The major elements of the project have been identified as follows along with their durations and
immediately preceding elements.
Activity Description
Durations(Weeks) Immediate
predecessors
A
Design new premises
14
-B
Obtain tenders from the contractors
4
A
C
Select the contractors
2
B
D
Arrange details with selected contractors
1
C
E
Decode which equipment to be used
2
A
F
Arrange storage of equipment
3
E
G
Arrange disposal of other equipments
2
E
H
Order new equipments
4
E
I
Take delivery of new equipments
3
H,L
J
Renovations take place
12
K
K
Remove old equipments for storage or disposal
4
D,F,G
L
Cleaning after the contractor has finished
2
J
M
Return old equipment for storage
2
H,L
(a) Draw the network diagram showing the interrelations between the various activities of
the project.
(b) Calculate the minimum time that the renovation can take place from the design stage.
(c) Find the effect on the overall duration of the project if the estimates or tenders can be
obtained in two weeks from the contractors by reducing their numbers.
(d) Calculate the independent float that is associated with the non-critical activities in the
network diagram.

17. What is an infeasible solution, and how does it occur? How is this condition recognized
in the graphical method?
18. What conditions must exist in a simplex table to establish the existence of an alternate
solution? No feasible solution? Unbound solution? Degeneracy?
19. What do you mean by two-person zero sum game? What is pure strategy in game
theory?
(iv) Why does VAM provide a good initial basic feasible solution? Could NWC method ever
provide an initial solution as low as cost?
(vi) Explain mini-max and maxi-min principle used in the theory of games.

20. Compare and contrast PERT & CPM. Under what conditions would you recommend
scheduling by PERT? State the circumstances where CPM is better technique.
21. A television manufacturing company has three major departments for the manufacture of
its two models A and B. The monthly capacities are given as follows:
Per unit time requirement (hrs)
Hrs available
Model A
Model B
this month
Department I
4.0
2.0
1600
Department II
2.5
1.0
1200
Department III
4.5
1.5
1600
The marginal profit per unit from the model A is Rs 400 and that of model B is Rs 100.
Assuming that the company can sell any quantity of either product due to favorable market
conditions, determine the optimum output for both the models, the highest possible profit for this
month and the slack time in the three departments.

22. Consider the LPP

Maximize Z= 4X1 +6X2
Subject to X1+2X2 8
6X1+4X2 24
X1, X20,
(i) What is the optimal solution?
(ii) If the first constraint is altered as: X1+3X28, does the optimal solution change?
(ii) Discuss the effect of adding a new constraint 2X1+X28 to the given set of constraints.
23. XYZ tobacco company purchases tobacco and stores in warehouses located in the
following four cities:
Warehouse location
Capacity (Tonnes)
City A
90
City B
50
City C
80
City D
60
The warehouse supply tobacco to cigarette companies in three cities that have the following
demands.
Cigarette company
Demand (Tonnes)
Bharat
120
Janata
100
Red Lamp
110
The following railroad shipping costs per tonne (in hundred rupees) have been determined:
Warehouse location
Bharat
Janata
Red Lamp
A
7
10
5
B
12
9
4
C
7
3
11
D
9
5
7
Because of railroad construction, shipments are temporarily prohibited from warehouse at city A
to Bharat Cigarette company.

Find the optimum distribution for XYZ tobacco company. Are there multiple optimum
solutions? If yes identify them. Write the dual of the given transportation problem and use it for
checking the optimum solution.

24. Solve the following sequencing problem giving an optimal solution when passing out is
not allowed.
Job
Machine
A
B
C
D
E
M1
11
13
9
16
17
M2
4
3
5
2
6
M3
6
7
5
8
4
M4
15
8
13
9
11
25. Using graphical method, Calculate the minimum time needed to process jobs 1 and 2 on
five machines A, B, C, D & E, i.e. for each machine find the job which should be done
first. Also calculate the total elapsed time to complete both the jobs.
Machine
Job 1
Sequence
A
B
C
D
E
Time (hrs) 6
8
4
12
4
Machine
Job 2
Sequence
B
C
A
D
E
Time (hrs) 10
8
6
4
12

26. Obtain the optimum strategies for both the persons and the value of the game for two
persons zero-sum game whose payoff matrix is given below:
Player B
Player A
B1
B2
A1
1
-3
A2
3
5
A3
-1
6
A4
4
1
A5
2
2
A6
-5
0

27. Following are the manpower requirements for each activity in a project.
Activity
Normal Time
Manpower
Required
0-1
2
4
1-2
3
3
13
4
3
24
2
5
35
4
3
36
3
4
4-7
6
3
57
6
6

68
5
2
79
4
2
8-9
4
9
(a) Draw the network diagram of the project activities
(b) Rearrange the activities suitably for reducing the existing total manpower requirements.
(c) If only 9 men are available for the execution of the project, then rearrange the activities
suitable for leveling the manpower resource.
28. What is linear programming? What are its major assumptions, advantages and
limitations?
29. Define the concept of convexity. Why must have the feasible region exhibit the property
of
convexity in LPP?
30. Under what condition is it possible for an LPP to have more than one optimal solution?
What do these optimal solution represent?
31. What is an infeasible solution, and how does it occur? How is this condition recognized
in the graphical method?
32. Minimize Z= 20 X1 +10X2
Subject to X1+2X2 40
3X1+2X2 30
4X1+3X2 60
X1,X2 0
OR
33. Maximize Z= 15 X1 +10X2
Subject to 4X1+6X2 3600
3X1 180
5X2 200
X1,X2 0
34. A manufacturing company is engaged in producing three types of products AB & C. The
production department produces each day components sufficient to make 50 units of A,
25 units of B & 30units of C. The management is confronted with the problem of
optimizing the daily production of products in assembly departments where only 100 man
hours are available daily to assemble the products. The following additional information
is available.
Types of product
Profit contribution/ unit products (Rs)
Assemble time/ product
A
12
0.8
B
20
1.7
C
45
2.5
The company has a daily order commitment for producing 20 units of product A & a total of 15
units of product B&C. Formulate this problem as an LP model so as to maximize the total profit.

35. Solve the following LPP using Simplex /Big M/Two-phase any suitable method
(a) Maximize Z= 3 X1 +2X2
Subject to X1+X2 4
X1- X2 2
X1,X2 0

36. Maximize Z= X1 -3X2 +2X3

Subject to 3X1- X2 +3X3 7
-2X1+4X2 12
-4X1+3X2 +8X3 10
X1,X2, X3 0
37. A firm manufactures two products A an B on machines I and II as shown below:
Products
Hrs available
A
B
I
30
20
300
II
5
10
110
Profit per unit (Rs)
6
8
Determine the optimal product mix. Write the dual of this primal and optimize both the dual and
primal (solution is expected)

Find the dual of the following primal

38. Minimize Zx= 2X1 +3X2 +4X3
Subject to 2X1+3X2 +5X3 2
3X1+X2 + 7X3 =3
X1+4X2 +6X3 5
X1,X2, 0, X3 unrestricted
39. Maximize Zx= 8X1 +8X2 +8X3+12X4
Subject to 30X1+20X2 +25X3 +40 X4 800
25 X1+10X2 +7X3 +15 X4 250
4X1- X2
=0
X3
5
X1,X2, X3, X4 0
40. Maximize Zx= 2X1 +3X2 +X3
Subject to 4X1+3X2 +X3 =6
X1+2X2 + 5X3 =4
X1,X2, X3 0(10 marks)
41. Given the LPP
Maximize Z= -X1 +2X2 -3X3
Subject to 3X1+X2 - X3 10
-X1+ 4X2 +X3 6
X2 +X3 4
X1, X2, X3 0, determine the range for discrete changes in the resource
values b1=10 and b2=6 of the LPP so as to maintain the optimality of the current solution
42. Given the LPP
Maximize Z= 3X1 +5X2
Subject to 3X1+2X2 18
X1
4
X2 6
X1, X2 0, Discuss the effect of optimality of the solution when the
objective function is changed to 3X1+X2

43. A company has factories at P, Q, R which supply to warehouses A, B, C, D & E. Unit

shipping cost (in Rs) along with weekly supply and demand is provided in the following
table.
A
B
C
D
Supply
P
19
30
50
10
7
Q
70
30
40
60
9
R
40
8
70
20
18
Demand 5
8
7
14
34
Determine the optimal distribution for this company to minimize total shipping cost.