Systems
Engineering and Operations Research Department
Wednesdays,
Robinson Hall A111
Professor Karla L. Hoffman
Office: SciTech Building II, Room 123
Phone: (703)993-1679(direct) or 993-1670 (office)
Homepage: http://iris.gmu.edu/~khoffman/hoffman.html
Office hours:
Wednesdays:
I am usually on Mondays and Wednesdays from
Text:
W.L. Winston, Operations Research: Applications and Algorithms. Duxbury
Press. Fourth Edition, 2003 (NOTE: Please use 4th Edition -- 3rd edition
problem numbers and chapters are different!)
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce deterministic
operations research modeling and methodology. It is designed to strengthen the
students' knowledge and application of operations research techniques, provide
the student with hands-on experience using micro-computer software in the field
and to evaluate the applicability of such techniques to industry, government
and science. A working knowledge of matrix algebra is essential.
MPL (Maximal Software
Corporation), available by downloading from the internet
(http://www.maximal-usa.com).
To improve decision-making with operations principles and methods,
specifically:
To learn about a broad
range of contemporary operations research methods and their applications to the
real world.
To learn about the role
of uncertainty and use of data in decision-making
To learn to communicate
effectively
Basic Skills:
Formulating basic
optimization problems and solving them using a modeling language
Understanding
the effects of uncertainty in decision-making.
Homework and Grading:
Homework problems will
be assigned at each session. Some or all of the assignments will be
collected and graded.
There will be one
in-class midterm exam and the final will also be in class. All exams will
be open book and open notes.
There will also be one
project that will require the formulation and solution to an optimization
problem.
Grades will be computed
as follows:
The midterm will count
as 30%,
The project will count for 20%,
Homework
will count 15%, and
The
final will be worth the remaining 35%.
Course Outline:
The course will include
all or part of the following chapters from the Winston text, covered in the
indicated sequence. The exact scheduling will depend upon the interests of the
class, which will determine the amount of time that will be devoted to each topic.
WEEK
CHAPTER(S)
TOPIC
Week
One
Chap.1, 2, 3-1 to 3-4
Introduction to operations research & linear programming.
Week
Two
Chap. 3
Formulation techniques and graphing
Week
Three
Chap. 4-1 to 4-7 The Simplex Method
Week
Four
Chap 4-8 to
4-12
More Simplex
Method
Week
Five
Chap. 6-1 to 6-2
Sensitivity Analysis & Duality
Week
Six
Chap. 6-3 to 6-10
More Sensitivity Analysis
Week
Seven
Chap. 7-1 to 7-5 The Transportation Problem
Week
Eight Handout
on Networks Networks
Week
Nine
Chap. 9-1 to 9-2 Begin
Integer Programming
Week
Ten
Chap. 9-3 to 9-8
Integer Programming Methods
Week Eleven MIDTERM
EXAM EXAM (Does not cover
Integer Programming)
Week
Twelve
Chap. 12-1 to
12-3
Introduction to Nonlinear Programming
Week
Thirteen
Chap. 12-4 to
12-8
Nonlinear Programming
Week Fourteen
Review
Week
Fifteen
Final Exam
(1) Make-up exams will
only be given for extreme situations, and only if I am contacted before the
exam is given and full arrangements are established. Full adherence to
this policy is the responsibility of the student.
(2) The exam dates
above are tentative, and it is the student's responsibility to keep abreast of
changes.
(3) Homework will be
assigned each class, and usually collected. All work must be clearly
written. Illegible work will not be accepted.
(4) There is a penalty
of 10% of the total grade for each day that the homework is late.