TMT811 Chapter (9) Summary

Student Name: Titilope Samuel Olusola

Matric No.: LTT/14/9339
Submitted to: Dr. Mobolaji Stephens

The Network Optimization model

Both the methodology and application of network optimization model has been the most exciting
in operation research. They spread through in numerous transportation, communication of our
daily lives. The major impact had been felt in the algorithm of data structure and data
manipulation in computer science.
Many network optimization models are actively problems of special cases of linear
programming. This topic highlights four important kinds of network problems and how to solve
them. The problem types include: The shortest part, the minimum spanning tree, the maximum
flow and minimum cost flow problem. The minimum cost flow problem provides a unified
approach to many other applications because of its structure. The structure is so general that it
includes special cases for shortest-path, maximum flow, transportation as well as assignment
problem

Terminology of networks
A relatively extensive terminology has been developed to describe the various kinds of networks
and their components. We will be listing and defining each of these terms.

Network: A network consist of a set of points(node) and set of lines connecting certain pairs of
the points
Nodes(Vertex): A set of points in a network
Arcs(Lines, Edges or Braches): This are lines connecting two nodes together
Directed arcs: The direction is indicated by adding an arrow head at the end of the line
representing the arc. The flow through this type of arc is allowed in one direction.
Undirected arcs(or links): No arrow head is added as indication of this type of arc. Flow is
allowed in either direction.
Directed network: A network that has only directed arcs is called a directed network
Undirected network: A network that is connected with indirect arcs is refered to as a directed
network
Mixed network: A network connected with a mixture of directed and undirected arcs
Path: A path between two nodes is a sequence of distinct arcs connecting these nodes
Directed path: A directed path from node a to b is a sequence of connecting arcs whose
direction (if any) is towards node b, so that flow from node a to b along this path is visible
Undirected path: An undirected path from node a to b is a sequence of connecting arcs whose
direction (if any) can either be towards or away from node b
Cycle: A path that begins and ends at the same node
Directed cycle: In a direct network, a cycle is directed cycle if the path involved is directed path
Undirected cycle: In a direct network, a cycle is undirected cycle if the path involved is
undirected path
Connected network: This is a network where every pair of nodes is connected and contains at
least one undirected path between them
Spanning tree: A spanning tree is a connected network with undirected cycle such that, the
number of nodes is one greater than the number of arcs. i.e. If the number of nodes is n the
number of arcs is n-1
Arc capacity: The maximum amount of flow that can be carried on a directed arc
Supply node(or source node or source): has the property that the flow out of the node exceeds
the flow into the node
Demand node (or sink node or sink): has the property that the flow into the node exceeds the
flow out of the node
Transshipment node( intermediate node): satisfies the conservation of flow, so flow in equals
flow out

The shortest path problem

In a shortest part problem, the goal is to find the shortest path (the path with the shortest
distance) from the origin to the destination of any connected network. The application is not
limited to minimizing the distance traveled from origin to destination. In fact, they may not
involve travel. We can find other use cases in the minimization of total cost and total time of a
sequence of activities
Algorithm for the shortest-path problem
Objective of nth iteration: Find the nth nearest node (to be repeated for n = 1, 2, … until the
nearest node is the destination)
Input for nth iteration: n-1 nearest nodes to the origin (solved for at the previous iterations),
involving their shortest path and distance from the origin. (These nodes, plus the origin, will be
called solved nodes; the others are unsolved nodes)
Candidate for the nth nearest node: Each solved node that is directly connected by a link to one
more unsolved nodes provides one candidate – The unsolved node with the shortest connecting
link. (Ties provide additional candidates)
Calculation of nth nearest node: For each such solved node and its candidate, add the distance
between them and the distance of the shortest path from the origin to this solved node. The
candidate with the smallest such total distance is the nth nearest node (ties provide additional
solved nodes), and its shortest path is the one generating this distance.

The Minimum spanning problem

The objective is to minimize the total length of links inserted into a network. (Similar approach
can be extended to minimization of distance, cost and time depending on the system). To achieve
this, you are given the nodes of a network but not the links. Instead, you are given the potential
links and positive length of the network. You wish to design the network by inserting enough
links to satisfy the requirement that there be a path between every pair of nodes such that you
minimize the total length of links inserted without forming a cycle in the network
Algorithm for the minimum spanning tree problem
1) Select any node arbitrarily, and then connect it to the nearest distinct node
2) Identify the unconnected node that is closest to a connected node, and connect these two
nodes. Repeat this step until all nodes have been connected
3) The breaking: Ties for the nearest distinct node (step 1) or the closet unconnected node
(step 2) may be broken arbitrarily, and the algorithm must still yield an optimal solution.
However, such ties are a signal that there maybe (but need not be) multiple optimal
solutions. All such optimal solutions can be identified by pursuing all ways of breaking
Ties to their conclusion
Application
• Design of telecommunication networks
• Design of a network of wiring on electrical equipment to minimize the total length of
wire
• Design of a network of pipelines to connect a number of locations

The maximum flow problem

In the theory of optimization, maximum flow problem involves finding a feasible flow through a
network that obtains the maximum possible flow rate. The maximum flow problem can be seen
as a special case of more complex network flow problems. The maximum value of an s-t flow
(i.e., flow from source, s to sink, t) is equal to the maximum capacity of an s-t cut (i.e., cut
severing s from t) in the network, as stated in the max-flow min-cut theorem.
This optimization techniques can be used to solve the following problems:
• Maximization of company’s distribution network from factories to customers
• Maximization of flow through a company’s supply network to vendors to factories.
• Maximization of flow of oil through a system of pipelines
In general terms, the problem can be described as follow:
1.) All flow through a directed and connected network starts at one node called the source
and terminates at another, called sink
2.) All other nodes (intermediary nodes) are transshipment nodes.
3.) Flow through an arc is allowed only in the direction indicated by the arrowhead, where
the maximum amount of flow is given by the capacity of the arc
4.) The objective is to maximize the total amount of flow from the source to the sink
The Augmenting path Algorithm for solving the maximum flow problem of a given
network:
1.) Identify an augmenting path by finding some directed path from the source to the sink in
the residual network such that every arc on this path has strictly positive residual
2.) Type equation here. Identify the residual capacity, c* of this augmenting path by finding
the minimum of the residual capacities of arcs on the path. Increase the flow in the path
by c*
3.) Decrease by c*, the residual capacity of each arc on this augmenting path. Increased by
c* the residual capacity of each arc in the opposite direction on this augmenting path.
4.) Return to step 1
When step 1 is carried out, this results to number of alternative augmenting paths to be chosen.
For each augmenting path, there is a minimum flow attached to it. The summation of this flows
is the maximum flow.

The minimum-cost flow problem

The minimum-cost problem is an optimization and decision problem to find the optimal possible
way of sending a certain amount of flow through a network. A good example involves finding
the best delivery route from a factory to a ware house where the road network has some capacity
and cost associated. The minimum cost flow problem is one of the most fundamental among all
flows and network problems because most other such problems can be cast as a minimum cost
problem and also that it can be solved efficiently by formulating it into a linear programming
problem so it can be solved using the network simplex algorithm.
Terminologies
• The model for any minimum-cost problem is represented by network with flow passing
through it
• The circles in the network are called nodes
• Each node where the net amount of flow generated (outflow minus inflow) in a fixed positive
number is a supply node
• Each node where the net amount of flow generated is a fixed negative number is a demand
node
• Any node where the net amount of flow generated is fixed at zero is a transshipment node.
Having the amount of flow out of the node equals the amount of flow into the node is
referred to as conservation of flows
• The arrows in the network are called arcs
• The maximum amount of flows allowed through an arc is referred to as the capacity of the
arc
Assumptions of minimum-cost flow problem
• At least one of the node is a supply node
• At least one of the node is a demand node
• All the remaining nodes are transshipment nodes
• Flow through an arc is only allowed in the direction by the arrowhead. Where the maximum
amount of flow is given by the capacity of the arc. (If flow can occur in the directions, this
would be represented by a pair of arcs pointing in opposite directions.)
• The network has enough arcs with sufficient capacity to enable all the flow generated at the
supply nodes to reach all the demand nodes
• The cost of flow through each arcs is proportional to the amount of flow, where the cost per
unit flow is known

Properties of minimum-cost flow problem

• The feasible solution property: Under the previous assumptions, a minimum-cost flow
problem will have feasible solutions if and only if the sum of the supplies from its supply
nodes equals the sum of the demands at its node
• The integer solution property: As long as all the supplies, demands, and arc capacities have
integer values, any minimum-cost flow problem with feasible solution is guaranteed to have
an optimal solution with integer values for all its flow quantities
Applications
• Operation of a company’s distribution network
• Operation of solid waste management
• Operation of a supply network
• Coordinating product mixes at plants
Network Simplex Method
In mathematical optimization, the network simplex algorithm is a graph specialization of the
simplex algorithm. The algorithm is usually formulated in terms of minimum-cost flow problem.
The network simplex method works very well and in practice than the simplex method applied to
general linear programme of same dimensions.
The network simplex method is an adaptation of the bounded variable primal simplex algorithm.
The basis is represented as a rooted spanning tree of the underlying network, in which variables
are represented by arcs and the simplex multipliers by node potentials. At each iteration, an
entering variable is selected by some pricing strategy, based on the dual multiplier (node
potentials), and forms a cycle with the arcs of the tree. The leaving variable is the arc of the cycle
with the least augmenting flow. The substitution of entering for leaving arc, and the
reconstruction of the tree is called a pivot. When non-basic arc remains eligible to enter, the
optimal solution has been reached
Applications
• Used to solve transshipment problem
• To solve assignment problem
• Cater problem