Module Identifier MA33110  
Module Title LINEAR PROGRAMMING  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Mr David Jones  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff To Be Arranged  
Mutually Exclusive MA23110 Not available to students who have taken MA23110  
Course delivery Lecture   19 x 1 hour lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials   3 x 1 hour example classes  
Assessment Exam   2 Hours (written examination)   100%  
  Resit assessment   2 Hours (written examination)   100%  

General description


The basic problem of Linear Programming is to maximise or minimise a linear function of several variables, subject to constraints expressed as linear inequalities or equations. The theory of Linear Programming is now well established to the extent that the technique often appears as an option in widely available business computer packages such as spreadsheets. This module provides a balance between the theory and applications of the subject and considers the interpretation of problem solutions.

Aims


To introduce an important application of Mathematics in the real world that is widely used.

Learning outcomes


On completion of this module, a student should be able to:

Syllabus


1. INTRODUCTION TO LINEAR PROGRAMMING: Problem formulation and the breadth of application. Basic definitions, including convexity, extreme points, feasible solutions, basic solutions, basic and non-basic variables, basic feasible solutions.
2. THE SIMPLEX METHOD: Overall idea; geometrical and algebraic characterisation. Fundamental Theorem of Linear Programming. Artificial variables; big-M method, two-phase method, Dual Simplex method. Unsigned variables. What can go wrong.
3. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS: Interpreting the simplex tableau, including economic interpretations where relevant. Dual prices. Marginal change and return.
4. DUALITY: The dual problem and its motivation. Fundamental Theorem of Duality. Relationships between solutions to the primal and dual problems. Complementary slackness. Dual-simplex algorithm. Interpretations of the Dual problem.
5. RELATED PROBLEMS: Some standard problems, eg transportation, assignment prolems. Theory of games.

Reading Lists

Books
** Supplementary Text
H A Taha. (1992) Operations research: an introduction. 5th. Maxwell-Macmillan 0024189758
W L Winston. (1995) Introduction to mathematical programming: applications and algorithms. 2nd. OWS-Kent 0534230466
J G Ecker & M Kupferschmid. (1988) Introduction to operations research. Wiley 0471884456