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Union Express has 60 tons of cargo that need to be shipped from boston to dallas

ID: 404016 • Letter: U

Question

Union Express has 60 tons of cargo that need to be shipped from boston to dallas. The shipping capacity on each of the routes Union Express planes fly each night is shown in the following table:

Nightly Flight Segments               capacity (in tons)

boston to baltimore                              30 tons

boston to pittsburgh                             25 tons

boston to cincinnati                              35 tons

baltimore to atlanta                              10 tons

baltimore to cincinnati                            5 tons

pittsburgh to atlanta                             15 tons

pittsburgh to chicago                            20 tons

cincinnati to chicago                             15 tons

cincinnati to memphis                             5 tons

atlanta to memphis                               25 tons

atlanta to dallas                                    10 tons

chicago to memphis                             20 tons

chicago to dallas                                  15 tons

memphis to dallas                                30 tons

memphis to chicago                             15 tons

Will Union Express be able to move all 60 tons from boston to dallas in one night?

a. Draw a network flow model for this problem.

b. Create a spreadsheet model for the problem and solve it.

c. what is the maximum flow for this network?

Explanation / Answer

a. Create a network flow model for this problem. (Consider inserting intermediate nodes in your network to assist in meeting the minimum monthly purchase restrictions for each supplier and the minimum monthly shipping requirements for each port.)

b. Implement a spreadsheet model for this problem and solve it.

c. What is the optimal solution?


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