Four Different Models

• The Blending Model

• The Production Model
• The Transportation Model
• They Dynamic Planning Model
The Blending Model
The Blending Model
• A linear programming problem involving blending or combining
various ingredients.

• The cost and composition or characteristics of various

ingredients are known.

• The problem is to determine how much of each of the

ingredients to blend together so that the total cost of the mixture
is minimized while the composition of the mixture satisfies
specified requirements.
Example 2.2.1
To feed his stock a farmer can purchase two kinds of feed. The farmer has
determined that the herd requires 60, 84, and 72 units of the nutritional
elements A, B, and C, respectively, per day. What is the least expensive
way of providing an adequate diet by combining the two feeds? The
contents and cost of a pound of each of the two feeds are given in the
following table:
Suppose now that the price of Feed 1
increases from 10 cents/lb to 14 cents/lb,
with all the other data unchanged.

This will only change the objective function

and it’s slope.

With all the constraints same, the corner

points will remain unchanged.

The revised optimal solution will be non-

unique:
Problem 1
We wish to minimize the cost of meeting our daily requirements of proteins,
vitamin C, and iron with a diet restricted to, say, apples and bananas. The
nutrient values in one unit of apple are 0.4 gm protein, 6 mg vitamin C and
0.4 mg iron and it costs 8 cents. The nutrient values in one unit of bananas
are 1.2 gm protein, 10 mg vitamin C and 0.6 mg iron and costs 10 cents.
Our daily diet requires at least 70 gm of protein, 50 mg of vitamin C, and 12
mg of iron.
Example 2.2.2
A landscaper has on hand two grass seed blends. Blend I contains 60%
bluegrass seed and 10% fescue and costs 80 cents/lb. Blend II contains
20% bluegrass seed and 50% fescue and costs 60 cents/lb. The field about
to be sowed requires a composition seed consisting of at least 30%
bluegrass and 26% fescue. What is the least expensive combination of the
two blends that meets these requirements?
Example 2.2.3 (Continuation of Example 2.2.2)
The operation of the landscaper of the above example has expanded. Now
there are two fields to be maintained, Field X (the original field) and Field Y,
with Field Y requiring a seed mixture that is at least 15% bluegrass and 35%
fescue and there is an additional grass seed blend to work with, Blend III,
with a composition of 25% bluegrass and 15% fescue and a cost of 35
cents/lb. Suppose the landscaper has an order for 100 lbs of seed for Field
X and 160 lbs of seed for Field Y. Minimize the cost to meet these demands.
The relevant data are summarized in the following table:
Production Model
• These problems center around an operation or production system –
a factory or a refinery.

• Commodities such as raw materials, capital, and labor are input into
the system and acted on by various processes.

• The results are outputs or goods produced.

• The basic problem is to operate the system in a way that maximizes

profit using limited resources, or minimizes costs while meeting
specified production requirements, or some combination of these
goals.
Example 2.3.1
Suppose a boat manufacturer produces two types of boats for
the sports and camping trade, a family rowboat and a sports
canoe. The boats are molded from aluminum by means of a large
pressing machine and are finished by hand labor. A rowboat
requires 50 lb of aluminum, 6 min of machine time, and 3 hr of
finishing labor; a canoe requires 30 lb of aluminum, 5 min of
machine time, and 5 hr of finishing labor. For the next 3 months
the company can commit up to 1 ton of aluminum 5 hr of
machine time, and 200 hr of labor for the manufacture of the
small boats. The company realizes a $50 profit on the sale of a
rowboat and a $60 profit on the sale of a canoe. Assuming that
all boats made can be sold, how many of each type should be
manufactured in the next 3 months in order to maximize profits?