MCMT51112/MMEC51108

Linear Programming: Tutorial Questions

1. Sketch the regions in the first quadrant of the xy-plane determined by the given inequalities.

(a)

x − 3y ≥ −6
x+y ≤ 6

(b)

2x − y ≥ 6
8x + 10y ≤ 80
x − 2y ≥ −3

(c)

−0.5x + y ≤ 2
x+y ≥ 2
−x + 5y ≥ 5

(d)

−x + y ≥ 0
x+y ≤ 5
−2x + y ≤ 16

(e)

−x + y ≤ 5
2x + y ≥ 10
y ≥ 4
10x + 15y ≤ 150

2. Use the graphical method to solve the following LP problems.

(a)

Maximise z = 15x + 10y

subject to 4x + 6y ≤ 360
3x ≤ 180
5y ≤ 200
x, y ≥ 0

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 (b)

Maximise z = 7x + 3y
subject to x + 2y ≥ 3
x+y ≤4
5
x≤
2
3
y≤
2
x, y ≥ 0

(c)

Maximise z = 2x + y
subject to x + 2y ≤ 10
x+y ≤6
x−y ≤2
x, y ≥ 0

(d)

Maximise z = −x + 2y
subject to x + 2y ≤ 10
x − y ≤ −1
−0.5x + y ≤ 2
x, y ≥ 0

(e)

Minimise z = 3x + 2y
subject to x + 2y ≤ 10
5x + y ≥ 10
x+y ≥6
x + 4y ≥ 12
x, y ≥ 0

(f)

Minimise z = −x + 2y
subject to −x + 3y ≤ 10
x+y ≤6
x−y ≤2
x, y ≥ 0

3. The ABC Company has been a producer of picture tubes for television sets and certain printed
circuits for radios. The company has just expanded into full scale production and marketing of
AM and AM-FM radios. It has built a new plant that can operate 48 hours per week. Production

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 of an AM radio in the new plant will require 2 hours and production of an AM-FM radio will
require 3 hours. Each AM radio will contribute 400 rands to profits while an AM-FM radio
will contribute 800 rands to profits. The marketing department, after extensive research has
determined that a maximum of 15 AM radios and 10 AM-FM radios can be sold each week.

(a) Formulate a linear programming model to determine the optimum production mix of AM
and FM radios that will maximize profits.
(b) Solve this problem using the graphical method.

4. Anita Electric Company produces two products P1 and P2 . Products are produced and sold on
a weekly basis. The weekly production cannot exceed 25 for product P1 and 35 for product P2
because of limited available facilities. The company employs total of 60 workers. Product P1
requires 2 man-weeks of labour, while P2 requires one man-week of labour. Profit margin on P1
is 600 rands and on P2 is 400 rands. Formulate this problem as an LP problem and solve using
the graphical method.

5. A juice stand sells two types of fresh juice in mug sized cups, the Refresher and the Super-Duper.
The Refresher is made from 3 oranges, 2 apples and a slice of ginger. The Super Duper is made
from one slice of watermelon, 3 apples and one orange. The owners of the juice stand have 50
oranges, 40 apples, 10 slices of watermelon and 15 slices of ginger. Let x denote the number of
Refreshers they make and let y denote the number of Super-Dupers they make. Now suppose
that Refreshers sell for 16 rands each and Super-Dupers sell for 18 rands each. Let’s suppose
also that the juice stand will sell all of the drinks they can make on this day. Formulate this
problem as an LP problem and solve using the graphical method.

6. A diet for a sick person must contain at least 4 000 units of vitamins, 50 units of minerals and
1 400 calories. Two foods A and B are available at a cost of 40 rands and 30 rands per unit,
respectively. If one of unit A contains 200 units of vitamins, 1 unit of mineral and 40 calories and
one unit of food B contains 100 units of vitamins, 2 units of minerals and 40 calories. Formulate
this problem as an LP model and solve using the graphical method to find combination of foods
to be used to have least cost.

7. A furniture company produces chairs and tables. Each chair gives a profit of R120, and each
table gives a profit of R500. It takes 3 hours to make a chair and 5 hours to make a table,
with at most 150 hours of labor available. Each chair requires 2 units of wood, and each table
requires 4 units, with at most 100 units of wood in stock. Due to demand, the company can
produce at most 30 chairs and 20 tables. Formulate this problem as an LP problem and solve
using the graphical method.

8. A farmer grows wheat and barley. Wheat yields R2000 profit per acre, and barley yields R4000
per acre. The farmer has 70 acres available. Wheat requires 2 units of water per acre, and
barley requires 4 units per acre, with only 240 units of water available. Government regulations
require at least 10 acres of wheat and 20 acres of barley to be planted. Formulate this problem
as an LP problem and solve using the graphical method.

9. A factory manufactures Product A and Product B. Product A generates R600 profit per unit,
and Product B generates R800 per unit. Each unit of Product A requires 2 hours on Machine
X and 1 hour on Machine Y, while each unit of Product B requires 1 hour on Machine X and 3
hours on Machine Y. Machine X has at most 80 hours available, and Machine Y has at most 60
hours. Storage limits allow for at most 50 units of Product A and 40 units of Product B.

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 10. Mr Carter eats a mix of Cereal A and Cereal B for breakfast. The amount of calories, sodium
and protein per ounce for each is shown in the table below. Mr Carter’s breakfast should provide
at least 480 calories but less than or equal to 700 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Mr Carter would
like to maximize the amount of protein in his breakfast mix. Formulate this problem as an LP

Cereal A Cereal B
Calories (per ounce) 100 140
Sodium (mg per ounce) 150 190
Protein (g per ounce) 9 10

problem and solve using the graphical method.

11. Michael is taking an exam in order to become a volunteer firefighter. The exam has 10 essay
questions and 50 short questions. He has 90 minutes to take the exam. The essay questions are
worth 20 points each and the short questions are worth 5 points each. An essay question takes
10 minutes to answer and a short question takes 2 minutes. Michael must do at least 3 essay
questions and at least 10 short questions. Michael knows the material well enough to get full
points on all questions he attempts and wants to maximize the number of points he will get.
Formulate this problem as an LP problem and solve using the graphical method.

12. A person plans to invest no more than 200 000 rands in two different interest-bearing accounts.
Each account is to contain at least 50 000 rands. Moreover, one account should have at least
twice the amount that is in the other account. Find a system of inequalities to describe the
various amounts that can be deposited in each account, and sketch the graph of the system.

13. Two types of tickets are to be sold for a concert. One type costs 150 rands per ticket and the
other type costs 250 rands per ticket. The promoter of the concert must sell at least 15 000
tickets including 8 000 of the 150 rands tickets and 4 000 of the 250 rands tickets. Moreover,
the gross receipts must total at least 2 750 000 rands in order for the concert to be held. Find
a system of inequalities describing the different numbers of tickets that can be sold, and sketch
the graph of the system.

14. A nutritionist needs to design a diet using Food A (R80 per unit) and Food B (R60 per unit).
Each unit of Food A provides 2 grams of protein and 1 gram of vitamins, while each unit of
Food B provides 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of vitamins. The diet must contain at least 10
grams of protein and 8 grams of vitamins daily. Formulate this problem as an LP problem and
solve using the graphical method.

15. A logistics company uses trucks (R400 per trip) and trains (R3000 per trip) for shipments. Each
truck can carry 3 tonnes, and each train can carry 2 tonnes. The company must move at least
12 shipments totaling at least 30 tonnes. Due to fleet size, they can use at most 10 trucks and
15 trains. Formulate this problem as an LP problem and solve using the graphical method.

16. A chemical plant mixes Solution X (R60 per liter) and Solution Y (R160 per liter) to create
a new product. The final mixture must be at least 50 liters total, with at least 40% active
ingredient. Solution X contains 40% active ingredient, and Solution Y contains 60%. Storage
limits allow at most 30 liters of X and 40 liters of Y to be used.

For extra practice, Economics students can set up the word problems under the simplex method.

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Linear Programming Simplex Method
1. Use the simplex method to solve the linear programming problem.

(a)

Maximise z = x1 + x2
subject to x1 + 2x2 ≤ 6
3x1 + 2x2 ≤ 5
x1 , x2 ≥ 0.

(b)

Maximise z = 4x1 + 5x2

subject to x1 + x2 ≤ 10
3x1 + 7x2 ≤ 42
x1 , x2 ≥ 0.

(c)

Maximise z = x1 − x2 + 2x3
subject to 2x1 + 2x2 ≤ 8
x3 ≤ 5
x1 , x2 , x3 ≥ 0.

(d)

Maximise z = 5x1 + 2x2 + 8x3

subject to 2x1 − 4x2 + x3 ≤ 42
2x1 + 3x2 − x3 ≤ 42
6x1 − x2 + 3x3 ≤ 42
x1 , x2 , x3 ≥ 0.

2. A merchant plans to sell two models of home computers at costs of 5 000 rands and 8 000 rands,
respectively. The 5 000 rands model yields a profit of 900 rands and the 8 000 rands model
yields a profit of 1 000 rands. The merchant estimates that the total monthly demand will not
exceed 250 units. Find the number of units of each model that should be stocked in order to
maximize profit. Assume that the merchant does not want to invest more than 1 400 000 rands
in computer inventory.

3. A grower has 50 acres of land for which she plans to raise three crops. It costs 4 000 rands to
produce an acre of carrots and the profit is 1 200 rands per acre. It costs 1 600 rands to produce
an acre of celery and the profit is 400 rands per acre. Finally, it costs 2 800 rands to produce an
acre of lettuce and the profit is 6 00 rands per acre. Use the simplex method to find the number
of acres of each crop she should plant in order to maximize her profit. Assume that her cost
cannot exceed 200 000 rands.

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4. An investor has up to 9 000 000 rands to invest in three types of investments. Type A pays 6%
annually and has a risk factor of 0. Type B pays 10% annually and has a risk factor of 0.06.
Type C pays 12% annually and has a risk factor of 0.08. To have a well-balanced portfolio, the
investor imposes the following conditions. The average risk factor should be no greater than
0.05. Moreover, at least one-half of the total portfolio is to be allocated to Type A investments
and at least one-fourth of the portfolio is to be allocated to Type B investments. How much
should be allocated to each type of investment to obtain a maximum return?

5. An accounting firm has 900 hours of staff time and 100 hours of reviewing time available each
week. The firm charges 40 000 rands for an audit and 6 000 rands for a tax return. Each audit
requires 100 hours of staff time and 10 hours of review time, and each tax return requires 12.5
hours of staff time and 2.5 hours of review time. What number of audits and tax returns will
bring in a maximum revenue?

6. Determine the dual of the given minimisation problem and solve the problem.

(a)

Minimise w = 3x1 + 3x2

subject to 2x1 + x2 ≥ 4
x1 + 2x2 ≥ 4
x1 , x2 ≥ 0.

(b)

Minimise w = 9x1 + 6x2

subject to x1 + 2x2 ≥ 5
2x1 + 2x2 ≥ 8
2x1 + x2 ≥ 6
x1 , x2 ≥ 0.

Minimise w = 9x1 + 4x2 + 10x3

subject to 2x1 + x2 + 3x3 ≥ 6
6x1 + x2 + x3 ≥ 9
x1 , x2 , x3 ≥ 0.

7. A small petroleum company owns two refineries. Refinery 1 costs 500 000 rands per day to
operate, and it can produce 300 barrels of high-grade oil, 200 barrels of medium-grade oil, and
150 barrels of low-grade oil each day. Refinery 2 is newer and more modern. It costs 600 000
rands per day to operate, and it can produce 300 barrels of high-grade oil, 250 barrels of medium-
grade oil, and 400 barrels of low-grade oil each day. The company has orders totaling 35 000
barrels of high-grade oil, 30 000 barrels of medium-grade oil, and 40 000 barrels of low-grade oil.
How many days should the company run each refinery to minimise its costs and still meet its
orders?

8. A steel company has two mills. Mill 1 costs 1 400 000 rands per day to operate, and it can
produce 400 tons of high-grade steel, 500 tons of medium-grade steel, and 450 tons of low-grade
steel each day. Mill 2 costs 1 200 000 rands per day to operate, and it can produce 350 tons of

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high-grade steel, 600 tons of medium-grade steel, and 400 tons of low-grade steel each day. The
company has orders totaling 100 000 tons of high-grade steel, 150 000 tons of medium-grade
steel, and 124 500 tons of low-grade steel. How many days should the company run each mill to
minimize its costs and still fill the orders?