AQA D2 2011 January — Question 2

Exam BoardAQA
ModuleD2 (Decision Mathematics 2)
Year2011
SessionJanuary
TopicPermutations & Arrangements
TypeOptimization assignment problems

2 A farmer has five fields. He intends to grow a different crop in each of four fields and to leave one of the fields unused. The farmer tests the soil in each field and calculates a score for growing each of the four crops. The scores are given in the table below.
Field AField BField CField DField E
Crop 1161281814
Crop 2201581612
Crop 3910121712
Crop 41811171519
The farmer's aim is to maximise the total score for the four crops.
    1. Modify the table of values by first subtracting each value in the table above from 20 and then adding an extra row of equal values.
    2. Explain why the Hungarian algorithm can now be applied to the new table of values to maximise the total score for the four crops.
    1. By reducing rows first, show that the table from part (a)(i) becomes
      26100\(p\)
      051248
      8750\(q\)
      18240
      00000
      State the values of the constants \(p\) and \(q\).
    2. Show that the zeros in the table from part (b)(i) can be covered by one horizontal and three vertical lines, and use the Hungarian algorithm to decide how the four crops should be allocated to the fields.
    3. Hence find the maximum possible total score for the four crops.