Problem 1
A cargo plane has three compartments for storing cargo: front, center and rear. These
compartments have the following limits on both weight and space:
Compartment Weight capacity (tons) Space capacity (cubic meters)
Front 10 6800
Centre 16 8700
Rear 8 5300
Furthermore, the weight of the cargo in the respective compartments must be the same
proportion of that compartment's weight capacity to maintain the balance of the plane.
The following four cargoes are available for shipment on the next flight:
Cargo Weight (tons) Volume (cubic meters/ton) Profit (/ton)
C1 18 480 310
C2 15 650 380
C3 23 580 350
C4 12 390 285
Any proportion of these cargoes can be accepted. The objective is to determine how
much (if any) of each cargo C1, C2, C3 and C4 should be accepted and how to
distribute each among the compartments so that the total profit for the flight is
maximized. Formulate the above problem as a linear program
Solution
Decision Variables
We need to decide how much of each of the four cargoes to put in each of the three
compartments. Hence let:
xij be the number of tons of cargo i (i=1,2,3,4 for C1, C2, C3 and C4 respectively) that
is put into compartment j (j=1 for Front, j=2 for Centre and j=3 for Rear) where
xij >=0 i=1,2,3,4; j=1,2,3
Note here that we are explicitly told we can split the cargoes into any proportions
(fractions) that we like.
Objective Function
The objective is to maximize total profit, i.e.
maximize 310[x11+ x12+x13] + 380[x21+ x22+x23] + 350[x31+ x32+x33] + 285[x41+
x42+x43]
Constraints
cannot pack more of each of the four cargoes than we have available
x11 + x12 + x13 <= 18
x21 + x22 + x23 <= 15
x31 + x32 + x33 <= 23
x41 + x42 + x43 <= 12
the weight capacity of each compartment must be respected
x11 + x21 + x31 + x41 <= 10
x12 + x22 + x32 + x42 <= 16
x13 + x23 + x33 + x43 <= 8
the volume (space) capacity of each compartment must be respected
480x11 + 650x21 + 580x31 + 390x41 <= 6800
480x12 + 650x22 + 580x32 + 390x42 <= 8700
480x13 + 650x23 + 580x33 + 390x43 <= 5300
the weight of the cargo in the respective compartments must be the same
proportion of that compartment's weight capacity to maintain the balance of the
plane
[x11 + x21 + x31 + x41]/10 = [x12 + x22 + x32 + x42]/16 = [x13 + x23 + x33 + x43]/8
Problem 2
A canning company operates two canning plants. The growers are willing to supply
fresh fruits in the following amounts:
S1: 200 tons at 11/ton
S2: 310 tons at 10/ton
S3: 420 tons at 9/ton
Shipping costs in per ton are:
To: Plant A Plant B
From: S1 3 3.5
S2 2 2.5
S3 6 4
Plant capacities and labor costs are:
Plant A Plant B
Capacity 460 tons 560 tons
Labor cost 26/ton 21/ton
The canned fruits are sold at 50/ton to the distributors. The company can sell at this
price all they can produce.
The objective is to find the best mixture of the quantities supplied by the three
growers to the two plants so that the company maximizes its profits.
Formulate the problem as a linear program and explain it
Solution
Decision Variables
We need to decide how much to supply from each of the three growers to each of the
two canning plants. Hence let xij be the number of tons supplied from grower i
(i=1,2,3 for S1, S2 and S3 respectively) to plant j (j=1 for Plant A and j=2 for Plant B)
where xij >=0 i=1,2,3; j=1,2
Objective Function
The objective is to maximize total profit, i.e.
maximize revenue - grower supply cost - grower shipping cost - plant labor cost
and this is
maximize 50SUM{i=1,2,3}SUM{j=1,2}xij - 11(x11+x12) - 10(x21+x22) - 9(x31+x32) -
3x11 - 2x21 - 6x31 - 3.5x12 - 2.5x22 - 4x32 - 26SUM{i=1,2,3}xi1 - 21SUM{i=1,2,3}xi2
Constraints
cannot supply more than a grower has available - a supply constraint
x11 + x12 <= 200
x21 + x22 <= 310
x31 + x32 <= 420
the capacity of each plant must be respected - a capacity constraint
x11 + x21 + x31 <= 460
x12 + x22 + x32 <= 560