7.05d Latest start and earliest finish: independent and interfering float

106 questions

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OCR D2 2015 June Q2
12 marks Moderate -0.5
2 The diagram below shows an activity network for a project. The figures in brackets show the durations of the activities, in hours. \includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{b3a3d522-2ec9-46ec-bd99-a8c698e3d1c0-3_371_1429_367_319}
  1. Complete the table in your answer book to show the immediate predecessors for each activity.
  2. Carry out a forward pass and a backward pass on the copy of the network in your answer book, showing the early event times and late event times. State the minimum project completion time, in hours, and list the critical activities.
  3. How much longer could be spent on activity \(F\) without it affecting the overall completion time? Suppose that each activity requires one worker. Once an activity has been started it must continue until it is finished. Activities cannot be shared between workers.
  4. (a) State how many workers are needed at the busiest point in the project if each activity starts at its earliest possible start time.
    (b) Suppose that there are fewer workers available than given in your answer to part (iv)(a). Explain why the project cannot now be completed in the minimum project completion time from part (ii). Suppose that activity \(C\) is delayed so that it starts 2 hours after its earliest possible start time, but there is no restriction on the number of workers available.
  5. Describe what effect this will have on the critical activities and the minimum project completion time.
OCR D2 2016 June Q5
16 marks Standard +0.3
5 The network below represents a project using activity on arc. The durations of the activities are not yet shown. \includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{490ff276-6639-40a1-bffb-dc6967f3ab21-6_597_1257_340_386}
  1. If \(C\) were to turn out to be a critical activity, which two other activities would be forced to be critical?
  2. Complete the table, in the Answer Book, to show the immediate predecessor(s) for each activity. In fact, \(C\) is not a critical activity. Table 1 lists the activities and their durations, in minutes. \begin{table}[h]
    Activity\(A\)\(B\)\(C\)\(D\)\(E\)\(F\)\(G\)\(H\)\(I\)\(J\)
    Duration10151051551015515
    \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Table 1}
    \end{table}
  3. Carry out a forward pass and a backward pass through the activity network, showing the early event time and late event time at each vertex of the network. State the minimum project completion time and list the critical activities. Each activity requires one person.
  4. Draw a schedule to show how three people can complete the project in the minimum time, with each activity starting at its earliest possible time. Each box in the Answer Book represents 5 minutes. For each person, write the letter of the activity they are doing in each box, or leave the box blank if the person is resting for those 5 minutes.
  5. Show how two people can complete the project in the minimum time. It is required to reduce the project completion time by 10 minutes. Table 2 lists those activities for which the duration could be reduced by 5 minutes, and the cost of making each reduction. \begin{table}[h]
    Activity\(A\)\(B\)\(C\)\(E\)\(G\)\(H\)\(J\)
    Cost \(( \pounds )\)200400100600100500500
    New duration51051051010
    \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Table 2}
    \end{table}
  6. Explain why the cost of saving 5 minutes by reducing activity \(A\) is more than \(\pounds 200\). Find the cheapest way to complete the project in a time that is 10 minutes less than the original minimum project completion time. State which activities are reduced and the total cost of doing this.
OCR D2 Specimen Q4
13 marks Moderate -0.5
4 Henry is planning a surprise party for Lucinda. He has left the arrangements until the last moment, so he will hold the party at their home. The table below lists the activities involved, the expected durations, the immediate predecessors and the number of people needed for each activity. Henry has some friends who will help him, so more than one activity can be done at a time.
ActivityDuration (hours)Preceded byNumber of people
A: Telephone other friends2-3
\(B\) : Buy food1A2
C: Prepare food4B5
D: Make decorations3A3
\(E\) : Put up decorations1D3
\(F\) : Guests arrive1C, E1
  1. Draw an activity network to represent these activities and the precedences. Carry out forward and reverse passes to determine the minimum completion time and the critical activities. If Lucinda is expected home at 7.00 p.m., what is the latest time that Henry or his friends can begin telephoning the other friends?
  2. Draw a resource histogram showing time on the horizontal axis and number of people needed on the vertical axis, assuming that each activity starts at its earliest possible start time. What is the maximum number of people needed at any one time?
  3. Now suppose that Henry's friends can start buying the food and making the decorations as soon as the telephoning begins. Construct a timetable, with a column for 'time' and a column for each person, showing who should do which activity when, in order than the party can be organised in the minimum time using a total of only six people (Henry and five friends). When should the telephoning begin with this schedule?
OCR MEI D2 2005 June Q2
16 marks Moderate -0.5
2 Karl is considering investing in a villa in Greece. It will cost him 56000 euros ( € 56000 ). His alternative is to invest his money, \(\pounds 35000\), in the United Kingdom. He is concerned with what will happen over the next 5 years. He estimates that there is a \(60 \%\) chance that a house currently worth \(€ 56000\) will appreciate to be worth \(€ 75000\) in that time, but that there is a \(40 \%\) chance that it will be worth only \(€ 55000\). If he invests in the United Kingdom then there is a \(50 \%\) chance that there will be \(20 \%\) growth over the 5 years, and a \(50 \%\) chance that there will be \(10 \%\) growth.
  1. Given that \(\pounds 1\) is worth \(€ 1.60\), draw a decision tree for Karl, and advise him what to do, using the EMV of his investment (in thousands of euros) as his criterion. In fact the \(\pounds / €\) exchange rate is not fixed. It is estimated that at the end of 5 years, if there has been \(20 \%\) growth in the UK then there is a \(70 \%\) chance that the exchange rate will stand at 1.70 euros per pound, and a \(30 \%\) chance that it will be 1.50 . If growth has been \(10 \%\) then there is a \(40 \%\) chance that the exchange rate will stand at 1.70 and a \(60 \%\) chance that it will be 1.50 .
  2. Produce a revised decision tree incorporating this information, and give appropriate advice. A financial analyst asks Karl a number of questions to determine his utility function. He estimates that for \(x\) in cash (in thousands of euros) Karl's utility is \(x ^ { 0.8 }\), and that for \(y\) in property (in thousands of euros), Karl's utility is \(y ^ { 0.75 }\).
  3. Repeat your computations from part (ii) using utility instead of the EMV of his investment. Does this change your advice?
  4. Using EMVs, find the exchange rate (number of euros per pound) which will make Karl indifferent between investing in the UK and investing in a villa in Greece.
  5. Show that, using Karl's utility function, the exchange rate would have to drop to 1.277 euros per pound to make Karl indifferent between investing in the UK and investing in a villa in Greece.
OCR MEI D2 2006 June Q3
20 marks Moderate -0.8
3 Emma has won a holiday worth \(\pounds 1000\). She is wondering whether or not to take out an insurance policy which will pay out \(\pounds 1000\) if she should fall ill and be unable to go on the holiday. The insurance company tells her that this happens to 1 in 200 people. The insurance policy costs \(\pounds 10\). Thus Emma's monetary value if she buys the insurance and does not fall ill is \(\pounds 990\).
  1. Draw a decision tree for Emma's problem. Use the EMV criterion in your calculations.
  2. Interpret your tree and say what the maximum cost of the insurance would have to be for Emma to consider buying it if she uses the EMV criterion. Suppose that Emma's utility function is given by utility \(= \sqrt [ 3 ] { \text { monetary value } }\).
  3. Using expected utility as the criterion, should Emma purchase the insurance? Under this criterion what is the cost at which she will be indifferent to buying or not buying it? Emma could pay for a blood pressure check to help her to make her decision. Statistics show that \(75 \%\) of checks are positive, and that when a check is positive the chance of missing a holiday through ill heath is 0.001 . However, when a check is negative the chance of cancellation through ill health is 0.017.
  4. Draw a decision tree to help Emma decide whether or not to pay for the check. Use EMV, not expected utility, in your calculations and assume that the insurance policy costs \(\pounds 10\). What is the maximum amount that she should pay for the blood pressure check?
OCR MEI D2 2007 June Q2
16 marks Standard +0.3
2 Bill is at a horse race meeting. He has \(\pounds 2\) left with two races to go. He only ever bets \(\pounds 1\) at a time. For each race he chooses a horse and then decides whether or not to bet on it. In both races Bill's horse is offered at "evens". This means that, if Bill bets \(\pounds 1\) and the horse wins, then Bill will receive back his \(\pounds 1\) plus \(\pounds 1\) winnings. If Bill's horse does not win then Bill will lose his \(\pounds 1\).
  1. Draw a decision tree to model this situation. Show Bill's payoffs on your tree, i.e. how much money Bill finishes with under each possible outcome. Assume that in each race the probability of Bill's horse winning is the same, and that it has value \(p\).
  2. Find Bill's EMV when
    (A) \(p = 0.6\),
    (B) \(p = 0.4\). Give his best course of action in each case.
  3. Suppose that Bill uses the utility function utility \(= ( \text { money } ) ^ { x }\), to decide whether or not to bet \(\pounds 1\) on one race. Show that, with \(p = 0.4\), Bill will not bet if \(x = 0.5\), but will bet if \(x = 1.5\).
OCR MEI D2 2008 June Q2
16 marks Easy -1.8
2 Jane has a house on a Mediterranean island. She spends eight weeks a year there, either visiting twice for four weeks each trip or four times for two weeks each trip. Jane is wondering whether it is best for her to fly out and rent a car, or to drive out.
Flights cost \(\pounds 500\) return and car rental costs \(\pounds 150\) per week.
Driving out costs \(\pounds 900\) for ferries, road tolls, fuel and overnight expenses.
  1. Draw a decision tree to model this situation. Advise Jane on the cheapest option. As an alternative Jane considers buying a car to keep at the house. This is a long-term alternative, and she decides to cost it over 10 years. She has to cost the purchase of the car and her flights, and compare this with the other two options. In her costing exercise she decides that she will not be tied to two trips per year nor to four trips per year, but to model this as a random process in which she is equally likely to do either.
  2. Draw a decision tree to model this situation. Advise Jane on how much she could spend on a car using the EMV criterion.
  3. Explain what is meant by "the EMV criterion" and state an alternative approach.
OCR MEI D2 2009 June Q2
16 marks Moderate -0.5
2 Zoe is preparing for a Decision Maths test on two topics, Decision Analysis (D) and Simplex (S). She has to decide whether to devote her final revision session to D or to S . There will be two questions in the test, one on D and one on S . One will be worth 60 marks and the other will be worth 40 marks. Historically there is a 50\% chance of each possibility. Zoe is better at \(D\) than at \(S\). If her final revision session is on \(D\) then she would expect to score \(80 \%\) of the \(D\) marks and \(50 \%\) of the \(S\) marks. If her final session is on \(S\) then she would expect to score \(70 \%\) of the S marks and \(60 \%\) of the D marks.
  1. Compute Zoe's expected mark under each of the four possible circumstances, i.e. Zoe revising \(D\) and the D question being worth 60 marks, etc.
  2. Draw a decision tree for Zoe. Michael claims some expertise in forecasting which question will be worth 60 marks. When he forecasts that it will be the D question which is worth 60 , then there is a \(70 \%\) chance that the D question will be worth 60 . Similarly, when he forecasts that it will be the S question which is worth 60 , then there is a \(70 \%\) chance that the S question will be worth 60 . He is equally likely to forecast that the D or the S question will be worth 60.
  3. Draw a decision tree to find the worth to Zoe of Michael's advice.
OCR MEI D2 2011 June Q3
20 marks Easy -1.8
3 Magnus has been researching career possibilities. He has just completed his GCSEs, and could leave school and get a good job. He estimates, discounted at today's values and given a 49 year working life, that there is a \(50 \%\) chance of such a job giving him lifetime earnings of \(\pounds 1.5 \mathrm {~m}\), a \(30 \%\) chance of \(\pounds 1.75 \mathrm {~m}\), and a \(20 \%\) chance of \(\pounds 2 \mathrm {~m}\). Alternatively Magnus can stay on at school and take A levels. He estimates that, if he does so, there is a 75\% chance that he will achieve good results. If he does not achieve good results then he will still be able to take the same job as earlier, but he will have lost two years of his lifetime earnings. This will give a \(50 \%\) chance of lifetime earnings of \(\pounds 1.42 \mathrm {~m}\), a \(30 \%\) chance of \(\pounds 1.67 \mathrm {~m}\) and a \(20 \%\) chance of \(\pounds 1.92 \mathrm {~m}\). If Magnus achieves good A level results then he could take a better job, which should give him discounted lifetime earnings of \(\pounds 1.6 \mathrm {~m}\) with \(50 \%\) probability or \(\pounds 2 \mathrm {~m}\) with \(50 \%\) probability. Alternatively he could go to university. This would cost Magnus another 3 years of lifetime earnings and would not guarantee him a well-paid career, since graduates sometimes choose to follow less well-paid vocations. His research shows him that graduates can expect discounted lifetime earnings of \(\pounds 1 \mathrm {~m}\) with \(20 \%\) probability, \(\pounds 1.5 \mathrm {~m}\) with \(30 \%\) probability, \(\pounds 2 \mathrm {~m}\) with \(30 \%\) probability, and \(\pounds 3 \mathrm {~m}\) with \(20 \%\) probability.
  1. Draw up a decision tree showing Magnus's options.
  2. Using the EMV criterion, find Magnus's best course of action, and give its value. Magnus has read that money isn't everything, and that one way to reflect this is to use a utility function and then compare expected utilities. He decides to investigate the outcome of using a function in which utility is defined to be the square root of value.
  3. Using the expected utility criterion, find Magnus's best course of action, and give its utility.
  4. The possibility of high earnings ( \(\pounds 3 \mathrm {~m}\) ) swings Magnus's decision towards a university education. Find what value instead of \(\pounds 3 \mathrm {~m}\) would make him indifferent to choosing a university education under the EMV criterion. (Do not change the probabilities.)
OCR MEI D2 2012 June Q2
16 marks Moderate -0.5
2 Adrian is considering selling his house and renting a flat.
Adrian still owes \(\pounds 150000\) on his house. He has a mortgage for this, for which he has to pay \(\pounds 4800\) annual interest. If he sells he will pay off the \(\pounds 150000\) and invest the remainder of the proceeds at an interest rate of \(2.5 \%\) per annum. He will use the interest to help to pay his rent. His estate agent estimates that there is a \(30 \%\) chance that the house will sell for \(\pounds 225000\), a \(50 \%\) chance that it will sell for \(\pounds 250000\), and a \(20 \%\) chance that it will sell for \(\pounds 275000\). A flat will cost him \(\pounds 7500\) per annum to rent.
  1. Draw a decision tree to help Adrian to decide whether to keep his house, or to sell it and rent a flat. Compare the EMVs of Adrian's annual outgoings, and ignore the costs of selling.
  2. Would the analysis point to a different course of action if Adrian were to use a square root utility function, instead of EMVs? Adrian's circumstances change so that he has to decide now whether to sell or not in one year's time. Economic conditions might then be less favourable for the housing market, the same, or more favourable, these occurring with probabilities \(0.3,0.3\) and 0.4 respectively. The possible selling prices and their probabilities are shown in the table.
    Economic conditions and probabilitiesSelling prices ( £) and probabilities
    less favourable0.32000000.22250000.32500000.5
    unchanged0.32250000.32500000.52750000.2
    more favourable0.42500000.33000000.53500000.2
  3. Draw a decision tree to help Adrian to decide what to do. Compare the EMVs of Adrian's annual outgoings. Assume that he will still owe \(\pounds 150000\) in one year's time, and that the cost of renting and interest rates do not change.
OCR Further Discrete AS 2018 June Q6
17 marks Standard +0.3
6 Sheona and Tim are making a short film. The activities involved, their durations and immediate predecessors are given in the table below.
ActivityDuration (days)Immediate predecessorsST
APlanning2-
BWrite script1A
CChoose locations1A
DCasting0.5A
ERehearsals2B, D
FGet permissions1C
GFirst day filming1E, F
HFirst day edits1G
ISecond day filming0.5G
JSecond day edits2H, I
KFinishing1J
  1. By using an activity network, find:
    • the minimum project completion time
    • the critical activities
    • the float on each non-critical activity.
    • Give two reasons why the filming may take longer than the minimum project completion time.
    Each activity will involve either Sheona or Tim or both.
    • The activities that Sheona will do are ticked in the S column.
    • The activities that Tim will do are ticked in the T column.
    • They will do the planning and finishing together.
    • Some of the activities involve other people as well.
    An additional restriction is that Sheona and Tim can each only do one activity at a time.
  2. Explain why the minimum project completion is longer than in part (i) when this additional restriction is taken into account.
  3. The project must be completed in 14 days. Find:
    1. the longest break that either Sheona or Tim can take,
    2. the longest break that Sheona and Tim can take together,
    3. the float on each activity.
OCR Further Discrete 2024 June Q4
16 marks Moderate -0.3
4 A project is represented by the activity network below. The activity durations are given in hours. \includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{f20391b2-e3c1-4021-9a87-47fd4ea7c490-5_346_1033_351_244}
  1. By carrying out a forward pass, determine the minimum project completion time.
  2. By carrying out a backward pass, determine the (total) float for each activity.
  3. For each non-critical activity, determine the independent float and the interfering float.
  4. Construct a cascade chart showing all the critical activities on one row and each non-critical activity on a separate row, starting at its earliest start time, and using dashed lines to indicate (total) float. You may not need to use all the grid. Each activity requires exactly one worker.
  5. Construct a schedule to show how exactly two workers can complete the project as quickly as possible. You may not need to use all the grid. Issues with deliveries delay the earliest possible start of activity D by 3 hours.
  6. Construct a schedule to show how exactly two workers can complete the project with this delay as quickly as possible. You may not need to use all the grid.
OCR Further Discrete 2020 November Q6
13 marks Standard +0.3
6 A project is represented by the activity on arc network below. \includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{cc58fb7a-efb6-4548-a8e1-e40abe1eb722-7_410_1095_296_486} The duration of each activity (in minutes) is shown in brackets, apart from activity I.
  1. Suppose that the minimum completion time for the project is 15 minutes.
    1. By calculating the early event times, determine the range of values for \(x\).
    2. By calculating the late event times, determine which activities must be critical. The table shows the number of workers needed for each activity.
      ActivityABCDEFGHIJK
      Workers2112\(n\)121114
  2. Determine the maximum possible value for \(n\) if 5 workers can complete the project in 15 minutes. Explain your reasoning. The duration of activity F is reduced to 1.5 minutes, but only 4 workers are available. The minimum completion time is no longer 15 minutes.
  3. Determine the minimum project completion time in this situation.
  4. Find the maximum possible value for \(x\) for this minimum project completion time.
  5. Find the maximum possible value for \(n\) for this minimum project completion time.
OCR Further Discrete Specimen Q2
13 marks Standard +0.3
2 Kirstie has bought a house that she is planning to renovate. She has broken the project into a list of activities and constructed an activity network, using activity on arc.
Activity
\(A\)Structural survey
\(B\)Replace damp course
\(C\)Scaffolding
\(D\)Repair brickwork
\(E\)Repair roof
\(F\)Check electrics
\(G\)Replaster walls
Activity
\(H\)Planning
\(I\)Build extension
\(J\)Remodel internal layout
\(K\)Kitchens and bathrooms
\(L\)Decoration and furnishing
\(M\)Landscape garden
\includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{0c9513fe-a471-427e-ba30-b18df11271e3-3_887_1751_1030_207}
  1. Construct a cascade chart for the project, showing the float for each non-critical activity.
  2. Calculate the float for remodelling the internal layout stating how much of this is independent float and how much is interfering float. Kirstie needs to supervise the project. This means that she cannot allow more than three activities to happen on any day.
  3. Describe how Kirstie should organise the activities so that the project is completed in the minimum project completion time and no more than three activities happen on any day.
Edexcel D1 2015 January Q7
12 marks Moderate -0.5
7. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{00abfcc0-63b3-4784-a4b5-06aba234068c-8_980_1577_229_268} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 4
[0pt] [The sum of all the activity durations is 99 days]}
\end{figure} The network in Figure 4 shows the activities that need to be undertaken to complete a project. Each activity is represented by an arc and the duration of the activity, in days, is shown in brackets. The early event times and late event times are to be shown at each vertex and some have been completed for you. Given that activity F is a critical activity and that the total float on activity G is 2 days,
  1. write down the value of \(x\) and the value of \(y\),
  2. calculate the missing early event times and late event times and hence complete Diagram 1 in your answer book. Each activity requires one worker and the project must be completed in the shortest possible time.
  3. Calculate a lower bound for the number of workers needed to complete the project in the shortest possible time.
  4. Draw a cascade (Gantt) chart for this project on Grid 1 in the answer book.
  5. Use your cascade chart to determine the minimum number of workers needed to complete the project in the shortest possible time. You must make specific reference to times and activities. (You do not need to provide a schedule of the activities.)
Edexcel D1 2016 January Q6
16 marks Moderate -0.3
6. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{a3ca2743-2311-4225-8b78-dcd5eb592704-7_664_1520_239_276} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 4}
\end{figure} A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 4. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time required, in hours, to complete the activity. The numbers in circles are the event numbers. Each activity requires one worker.
  1. Explain the significance of the dummy activity
    1. from event 5 to event 6
    2. from event 7 to event 9
  2. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and the late event times.
  3. State the minimum project completion time.
  4. Calculate a lower bound for the minimum number of workers required to complete the project in the minimum time. You must show your working.
  5. On Grid 1 in your answer book, draw a cascade (Gantt) chart for this project.
  6. On Grid 2 in your answer book, construct a scheduling diagram to show that this project can be completed with three workers in just one more hour than the minimum project completion time.
    (3)
Edexcel D1 2017 January Q7
14 marks Moderate -0.5
7. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{8c9bce2c-4156-4bf6-8d02-9e01d6f11948-08_1024_1495_226_276} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 5}
\end{figure} A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 5. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in days, to complete the corresponding activity. Each activity requires exactly one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time.
  1. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and late event times.
  2. Explain what is meant by a critical path.
  3. List the critical path for this network.
  4. For each of the situations below, state the effect that the delay would have on the project completion date.
    1. A 4-day delay during activity J.
    2. A 4-day delay during activity M . The delays mentioned in (d) do not occur.
  5. Calculate a lower bound for the number of workers needed to complete the project in the minimum time. You must show your working.
  6. Schedule the activities using the minimum number of workers so that the project is completed in the minimum time.
Edexcel D1 2018 January Q2
10 marks Moderate -0.5
2. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{e0c89aba-9d2e-469b-8635-d513df0b65a4-03_1031_1571_226_246} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 3}
\end{figure} The network in Figure 3 shows the activities that need to be undertaken by a company to complete a project. Each activity is represented by an arc and the duration of the activity, in days, is shown in brackets. Each activity requires exactly one worker. The early event times and late event times are shown at each vertex. Given that the total float on activity B is 2 days and the total float on activity F is also 2 days,
  1. find the values of \(w , x , y\) and \(z\).
  2. Draw a cascade (Gantt) chart for this project on Grid 1 in the answer book.
  3. Use your cascade chart to determine the minimum number of workers needed to complete the project in the shortest possible time. You must make specific reference to time and activities. (You do not need to provide a schedule of the activities.)
Edexcel D1 2019 January Q3
11 marks Moderate -0.8
3. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{e7f89fa1-0afa-4aec-a430-14ec98f487c8-04_848_1394_210_331} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 2}
\end{figure} A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 2. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in days, to complete the corresponding activity. Each activity requires one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time.
  1. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and the late event times.
  2. State the critical activities.
  3. Draw a cascade (Gantt) chart for this project on Grid 1 in the answer book.
  4. Use your cascade chart to determine the minimum number of workers needed to complete the project in the shortest possible time. You must make specific reference to time and activities. (You do not need to provide a schedule of the activities.)
Edexcel D1 2020 January Q3
9 marks Moderate -0.3
3. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{b6d09c46-abfd-4baa-80bd-7485d1bf8e0d-04_865_1636_246_219} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 2}
\end{figure} The network in Figure 2 shows the activities that need to be undertaken by a company to complete a project. Each activity is represented by an arc and the duration, in days, is shown in brackets. Each activity requires one worker. The early event times and late event times are shown at each vertex. The total float on activity D is twice the total float on activity E .
  1. Find the values of \(x , y\) and \(z\).
  2. Draw a cascade chart for this project on Grid 1 in the answer book.
  3. Use your cascade chart to determine a lower bound for the minimum number of workers needed to complete the project in the shortest possible time. You must make specific reference to time and activities. (You do not need to provide a schedule of the activities.)
Edexcel D1 2024 January Q1
13 marks Moderate -0.5
1. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{4814ebd7-f48a-49cf-8ca2-045d84abd63c-2_679_958_315_568} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 1}
\end{figure} A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 1. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in hours, to complete the corresponding activity. Each activity requires one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time using as few workers as possible.
  1. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and the late event times.
  2. Calculate the total float for activity D. You must make the numbers used in your calculation clear.
  3. Calculate a lower bound for the minimum number of workers required to complete the project in the shortest possible time. You must show your working.
  4. Draw a cascade chart for this project on Grid 1 in the answer book.
  5. Use your cascade chart to determine the minimum number of workers needed to complete the project in the shortest possible time. You must make specific reference to time and activities. (You do not need to provide a schedule of the activities.)
Edexcel D1 2014 June Q7
14 marks Moderate -0.8
7. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{4609ffb5-d270-4ff3-aa44-af8442a38b66-8_499_1319_191_383} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 5}
\end{figure} A company models a project by the activity network shown in Figure 5. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in days, to complete the activity. Each activity requires exactly one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time.
  1. Add early and late event times to Diagram 1 in the answer book.
  2. State the critical path and its length.
  3. On Diagram 2 in the answer book, construct a cascade (Gantt) chart.
  4. By using your cascade chart, state which activities must be happening at
    1. time 7.5
    2. time 16.5 It is decided that the company may use up to 25 days to complete the project.
  5. On Diagram 3 in the answer book, construct a scheduling diagram to show how this project can be completed within 25 days using as few workers as possible.
Edexcel D1 2015 June Q6
12 marks Moderate -0.8
6. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{6417303d-c42a-4da4-b0fa-fb7718959417-8_1180_1572_207_251} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 6}
\end{figure} [The sum of the durations of all the activities is 142 days]
A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 6. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in days, to complete the activity. Each activity requires one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time.
  1. Complete the precedence table in the answer book.
  2. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and late event times.
  3. Calculate the total float for activity D. You must make the numbers you use in your calculation clear.
  4. Calculate a lower bound for the number of workers needed to complete the project in the minimum time. You must show your working. Diagram 2 in the answer book shows a partly completed scheduling diagram for this project.
  5. Complete the scheduling diagram, using the minimum number of workers, so that the project is completed in the minimum time.
Edexcel D1 2016 June Q6
13 marks Moderate -0.3
6. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{049de386-42a9-4f16-8be3-9324382e4988-07_773_1353_226_372} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 5}
\end{figure} A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 5. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in days, to complete the activity. Each activity requires exactly one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time.
  1. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and late event times.
  2. State the critical activities.
  3. Calculate the maximum number of days by which activity E could be delayed without lengthening the completion time of the project. You must make the numbers used in your calculation clear.
  4. Calculate a lower bound for the number of workers needed to complete the project in the minimum time. You must show your working.
  5. Draw a cascade (Gantt) chart for this project on the grid provided in the answer book.
Edexcel D1 2018 June Q5
14 marks Standard +0.3
5. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{5b18e92c-540e-4e89-8d60-d60294f50dda-06_630_1237_189_412} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Figure 6}
\end{figure} A project is modelled by the activity network shown in Figure 6. The activities are represented by the arcs. The number in brackets on each arc gives the time, in hours, to complete the corresponding activity. Each activity requires one worker. The project is to be completed in the shortest possible time.
  1. Complete the precedence table in the answer book.
  2. Complete Diagram 1 in the answer book to show the early event times and late event times.
  3. State the minimum project completion time and list the critical activities.
  4. Calculate the maximum number of hours by which activity E could be delayed without affecting the shortest possible completion time of the project. You must make the numbers used in your calculation clear.
  5. Calculate a lower bound for the number of workers needed to complete the project in the minimum time. You must show your working. The project is to be completed in the minimum time using as few workers as possible.
  6. Schedule the activities using Grid 1 in the answer book.
    (3) Before the project begins it becomes apparent that activity E will require an additional 6 hours to complete. The project is still to be completed in the shortest possible time and the time to complete all other activities is unchanged.
  7. State the new minimum project completion time and list the new critical activities.