Edexcel D2 2006 June — Question 1

Exam BoardEdexcel
ModuleD2 (Decision Mathematics 2)
Year2006
SessionJune
TopicCurve Sketching
TypeOptimization and assignment problems

  1. (a) State Bellman's principle of optimality.
    (b) Explain what is meant by a minimax route.
    (c) Describe a practical problem that would require a minimax route as its solution.
    (Total 4 marks)
  2. Three workers, \(P , Q\) and \(R\), are to be assigned to three tasks, 1,2 and 3 . Each worker is to be assigned to one task and each task must be assigned to one worker. The cost, in hundreds of pounds, of using each worker for each task is given in the table below. The cost is to be minimised.
Cost (in \(\pounds 100\) s)Task 1Task 2Task 3
Worker \(P\)873
Worker \(Q\)956
Worker \(R\)1044
Formulate the above situation as a linear programming problem, defining the decision variables and making the objective and constraints clear.
(Total 7 marks)