| Exam Board | AQA |
|---|---|
| Module | D1 (Decision Mathematics 1) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Session | January |
| Marks | 10 |
| Paper | Download PDF ↗ |
| Mark scheme | Download PDF ↗ |
| Topic | Travelling Salesman |
| Type | Interpret Bounds or Solution |
| Difficulty | Easy -1.8 This question tests only basic recall and interpretation of travelling salesman concepts: identifying best bounds from lists (trivial comparison), stating what bounds mean (standard definition), and applying nearest neighbour algorithm to a 4-node network. No problem-solving, optimization insight, or complex reasoning required—purely procedural with minimal computational demand. |
| Spec | 7.02c Graph terminology: walk, trail, path, cycle, route7.04c Travelling salesman upper bound: nearest neighbour method7.04d Travelling salesman lower bound: using minimum spanning tree |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
| \(40\) | B1 | |
| Total: 1 |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
| \(40\) | B1 | |
| Total: 1 |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
| \(45 \leq T \leq 55\) | B1 | |
| Total: 1 |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
| Distance matrix with 3 independent entries correct | B1 | 3 indep correct |
| Full matrix: \(A\)-\(B=20\), \(A\)-\(C=38\), \(A\)-\(D=35\), \(B\)-\(C=18\), \(B\)-\(D=15\), \(C\)-\(D=33\) | B1 | All correct |
| Total: 2 |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
| Tour \(A\ B\ D\ C\ A\): \(20+15+33+38=106\) | M1 | Tour visits all |
| Correct order or their \(33\) | A1 | |
| B1 | ||
| Total: 3 |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
| \(A\ B\ D\ B\ C\ B\ A\) | M1 | Any expansion on (c)(ii) |
| Correct | A1 | |
| Total: 2 |
## Question 5:
### Part (a)(i)
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|--------|-------|----------|
| $40$ | B1 | |
| **Total: 1** | | |
### Part (a)(ii)
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|--------|-------|----------|
| $40$ | B1 | |
| **Total: 1** | | |
### Part (b)
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|--------|-------|----------|
| $45 \leq T \leq 55$ | B1 | |
| **Total: 1** | | |
### Part (c)(i)
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|--------|-------|----------|
| Distance matrix with 3 independent entries correct | B1 | 3 indep correct |
| Full matrix: $A$-$B=20$, $A$-$C=38$, $A$-$D=35$, $B$-$C=18$, $B$-$D=15$, $C$-$D=33$ | B1 | All correct |
| **Total: 2** | | |
### Part (c)(ii)
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|--------|-------|----------|
| Tour $A\ B\ D\ C\ A$: $20+15+33+38=106$ | M1 | Tour visits all |
| Correct order or their $33$ | A1 | |
| | B1 | |
| **Total: 3** | | |
### Part (c)(iii)
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|--------|-------|----------|
| $A\ B\ D\ B\ C\ B\ A$ | M1 | Any expansion on (c)(ii) |
| Correct | A1 | |
| **Total: 2** | | |
5 [Figure 3, printed on the insert, is provided for use in this question.]
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\alph*)]
\item James is solving a travelling salesperson problem.
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\roman*)]
\item He finds the following upper bounds: $43,40,43,41,55,43,43$.
Write down the best upper bound.
\item James finds the following lower bounds: 33, 40, 33, 38, 33, 38, 38 .
Write down the best lower bound.
\end{enumerate}\item Karen is solving a different travelling salesperson problem and finds an upper bound of 55 and a lower bound of 45 . Write down an interpretation of these results.
\item The diagram below shows roads connecting 4 towns, $A , B , C$ and $D$. The numbers on the edges represent the lengths of the roads, in kilometres, between adjacent towns.\\
\includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{92175666-ef7a-4dca-9cdb-ebde1b40b2c9-05_451_1034_1160_504}
Xiong lives at town $A$ and is to visit each of the other three towns before returning to town $A$. She wishes to find a route that will minimise her travelling distance.
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\roman*)]
\item Complete Figure 3, on the insert, to show the shortest distances, in kilometres, between all pairs of towns.
\item Use the nearest neighbour algorithm on Figure 3 to find an upper bound for the minimum length of a tour of this network that starts and finishes at $A$.
\item Hence find the actual route that Xiong would take in order to achieve a tour of the same length as that found in part (c)(ii).
\end{enumerate}\end{enumerate}
\hfill \mbox{\textit{AQA D1 2008 Q5 [10]}}