CMA Intermediate · Operations Management and Strategic Management · Transportation
In a transportation problem, a unit cost of Rs 1,000,000 (a very large value, M) is assigned to a particular source-destination route. What is the purpose of this?
The purpose is to prohibit that route. In a minimisation transportation problem, a prohibitively large cost ensures the route is never chosen in the optimal solution, which is how blocked or unavailable routes are represented in the cost matrix.
- ATo prohibit the use of that route in the optimal solutionCorrect
- BTo make that route compulsory
- CTo balance supply and demand
- DTo remove degeneracy
Explanation
A very high cost makes the route unattractive in a minimisation problem, so it receives no allocation. This models a prohibited route, for example a road closed for heavy vehicles. It does not force use of the route, which would need a very low cost.
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