Questions from Management Science

Q: An important problem in operations management is the job sequencing problem.

An important problem in operations management is the job sequencing problem. Actually, there are many versions of this problem, but they all basically attempt to find the proper sequencing of jobs on...

Q: The traveling salesperson problem is notoriously difficult when the number of cities

The traveling salesperson problem is notoriously difficult when the number of cities is even of moderate size. The file contains two sheets, one with a distance matrix for a 30-city problem and the ot...

Q: Repeat Problem 15, but now assume there is a setup time

Repeat Problem 15, but now assume there is a setup time for changing from any job to another job, and this setup time can depend on the jobs. For example, the setup time when changing from job 2 to jo...

Q: You are operating a Web site to match up sellers and buyers

You are operating a Web site to match up sellers and buyers of a product. 35 sellers and 35 buyers have input their reservation prices, as listed in the file. For example, buyer 1 is willing to pay up...

Q: The 30 teams in the NBA are each assigned to one of

The 30 teams in the NBA are each assigned to one of six divisions, where each division has five teams. Suppose the goal is to assign the teams to divisions so that the average distance among teams in...

Q: Modify the function in Example 8.1 so that it becomes

Modify the function in Example 8.1 so that it becomes f(x) = x sin(x) for 0 ≤ x ≤ 30. (Here, sin(x) is the sine function from trigonometry. You can evaluate it with Excel’s SIN function.) Plot a lot o...

Q: Fourteen jobs must be assigned to one of three identical machines.

Fourteen jobs must be assigned to one of three identical machines. The goal is to minimize the total time needed to complete all 14 jobs. The machine capacities and times needed for the jobs are given...

Q: In a production scheduling problem like Pigskin’s, suppose the company must

In a production scheduling problem like Pigskin’s, suppose the company must produce several products to meet customer demands. Would it suffice to solve a separate model for each product, as we did fo...

Q: Nine jobs need to be completed within eight weeks. The number

Nine jobs need to be completed within eight weeks. The number of weeks required to complete each job is given in the file P08_21.xlsx. For example, job 2 requires five weeks. Each job requires 40 hour...

Q: Eight students need to be assigned to four dorm rooms (two

Eight students need to be assigned to four dorm rooms (two students to a room) at State University. Based on incompatibility measures, the “cost” incurred if two students room together is shown in the...