Operations Research & Linear Programming Flashcards
6 cards from real BSIE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Operations Research & Linear Programming flashcards as text
Which heuristic is commonly used to solve the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP)?
Answer: Nearest neighbor heuristic
The nearest neighbor heuristic builds a TSP tour by repeatedly visiting the closest unvisited city, providing a fast but suboptimal solution.
What is the reorder point in inventory management?
Answer: The inventory level at which a new order should be placed
The reorder point is the inventory level that triggers a replenishment order, calculated as demand during lead time plus safety stock.
In simulation, what does Monte Carlo simulation primarily rely on?
Answer: Random number generation to model probabilistic systems
Monte Carlo simulation uses random sampling from probability distributions to estimate outcomes in complex or stochastic systems.
What does 'slack' mean for a non-critical activity in a project network?
Answer: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project
Slack (or float) is the amount of time a non-critical activity can be delayed without causing a delay in the project's completion date.
Which of the following best describes integer programming?
Answer: Optimization where some or all decision variables must take integer values
Integer programming (IP) requires that some or all decision variables take integer (whole number) values, making it generally harder to solve than LP.
In queuing theory, what is the traffic intensity (ρ) and what happens when ρ ≥ 1?
Answer: ρ = arrival rate / service rate; queue grows indefinitely when ρ ≥ 1
Traffic intensity ρ = λ/μ; when ρ ≥ 1 arrivals exceed service capacity, causing the queue to grow without bound.