CHAPTER

3
Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

OUTLINE

3.1 Systems of Linear

Inequalities
3.2 A Geometric Approach
to Linear Programming
Problems
3.3 Applications
• Chapter Review
• Chapter Project
• Mathematical Questions
from Professional Exams

I t’s the weekend after midterms,

and a hiking trip to Pinnacles National
good. But in what proportions should
they be mixed? And what about
Monument in California is on the meeting some minimum calorie
agenda. Hiking in Pinnacles will requirements? What about carbohy-
require some advance planning. drates and protein? And, of course,
Some trails go through caves, so a fat should be minimized! Fortunately,
flashlight is needed. Others go to this chapter was covered before
the top of low mountain peaks. No midterms, so these questions can be
matter where the hiking ends up, answered. The Chapter Project at the
some food, such as a trail mix, will be end of the chapter will guide you.
required. Peanuts and raisins sound

158
 Systems of Linear Inequalities 159

A L O O K B AC K , A L O O K F O RWA R D

In Chapter 1, we discussed linear equations and some appli- Historically, linear programming problems evolved out
cations that involve linear equations. In Chapter 2, we stud- of the need to solve problems involving resource allocation
ied systems of linear equations. In this chapter, we discuss by the U.S. Army during World War II. Among those who
systems of linear inequalities and an extremely important worked on such problems was George Dantzig, who later
application involving linear equations and systems of linear gave a general formulation of the linear programming
inequalities: linear programming. problem and offered a method for solving it, called the
Whenever the analysis of a problem leads to minimiz- simplex method. This method is discussed in Chapter 4.
ing or maximizing a linear expression in which the In this chapter we study ways to solve linear program-
variables must obey a collection of linear inequalities, a ming problems that involve only two variables. As a result,
solution may be obtained using linear programming we can use a geometric approach utilizing the graph of a
techniques. system of linear inequalities to solve the problem.

3.1 Systems of Linear Inequalities

PREPARING FOR THIS SECTION Before getting started, review the following:

> Inequalities (Appendix A, Section A.2, pp. xx) > Pairs of Lines (Section 1.2, pp. 19– 23)
> Lines (Section 1.1, pp. 2– 14)

OBJECTIVES 1 Graph linear inequalities

2 Graph systems of linear inequalities

In Section 1.1, we discussed linear equations (linear equalities) in two variables x and y.
Recall that these are equations of the form
Ax  By  C (1)
where A, B, C are real numbers and A and B are not both zero. If in Equation (1)
we replace the equal sign by an inequality symbol, namely, one of the symbols
, , , or , we obtain a linear inequality in two variables x and y. For example,
the expressions
3x  2y  4 2x  3y  0 3x  5y  8
are each linear inequalities in two variables. The first of these is called a nonstrict inequal-
ity since the expression is satisfied when 3x  2y  4, as well as when 3x  2y  4. The
remaining two linear inequalities are strict.

The Graph of a Linear Inequality

Graph linear inequalities 1 The graph of a linear inequality in two variables x and y is the set of all points (x, y)
for which the inequality is satisfied.
Let’s look at an example.

EXAMPLE 1 Graphing a Linear Inequality

Graph the inequality: 2x  3y  6

160 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

SOLUTION The inequality 2x  3y  6 is equivalent to 2x  3y  6 or 2x  3y  6. So we begin

by graphing the line L: 2x  3y  6, noting that any point on the line must satisfy the
inequality 2x  3y  6. See Figure 1(a).

FIGURE 1 y y

6 (5, 5) 6 (5, 5)
4 4

(0, 2) (0, 2)
(4, 0) x (4, 0) x
(–4, 0) –2 (3, 0) 6 (–4, 0) –2 (3, 0) 6
(–1, –1) –2 (–1, –1) –2
2x + 3y = 6 2x + 3y = 6

(a) (b)

Now let’s test a few points, such as (1, 1), (5, 5), (4, 0), (4, 0), to see if they
satisfy the inequality. We do this by substituting the coordinates of each point into the
inequality and determining whether the result is  6 or  6.
2x  3y Conclusion
(1, 1): 2(1)  3(1)  2  3  5  6 Not part of graph
(5, 5): 2(5)  3(5)  25  6 Part of graph
(4, 0): 2(4)  3(0)  8  6 Part of graph
(4, 0): 2(4)  3(0)  8  6 Not part of graph

Notice that the two points (4, 0) and (5, 5) that are part of the graph both lie on one
side of L, while the points (4, 0) and (1, 1) (not part of the graph) lie on the oth-
er side of L. This is not an accident. The graph of the inequality consists of all points on
the same side of L as (4, 0) and (5, 5). The shaded region of Figure 1(b) illustrates the
graph of the inequality. ◗
The inequality in Example 1 was nonstrict, so the corresponding line was part of
the graph of the inequality. If the inequality is strict, the corresponding line is not part of the
graph of the inequality. We will indicate a strict inequality by using dashes to graph the line.
Let’s outline the procedure for graphing a linear inequality:
▲

Steps for Graphing a Linear Inequality

STEP 1 Graph the corresponding linear equation, a line L. If the inequality is non-
strict, graph L using a solid line; if the inequality is strict, graph L using
dashes.
STEP 2 Select a test point P not on the line L.
STEP 3 Substitute the coordinates of the test point P into the given inequality. If
the coordinates of this point P satisfy the linear inequality, then all points
on the same side of L as the point P satisfy the inequality. If the coordinates
of the point P do not satisfy the linear inequality, then all points on the
opposite side of L from P satisfy the inequality.
 Systems of Linear Inequalities 161

EXAMPLE 2 Graphing a Linear Inequality

Graph the linear inequality: 2x  y  4

SOLUTION The corresponding linear equation is the line
L: 2x  y  4
Since the inequality is strict, points on L are not part of the graph of the linear inequal-
ity. When we graph L, we use a dashed line to indicate this fact. See Figure 2(a).
We select a point not on the line L to be tested, for example, (0, 0):
2x  y  2(0)  0  0 2x  y  4

Since 0 is not less then 4, the point (0, 0) does not satisfy the inequality. As a result,
all points on the opposite side of L from (0, 0) satisfy the inequality. The graph of
2x  y  4 is the shaded region of Figure 2(b). ◗
FIGURE 2 y y
L L
6 6

(0, 4) (0, 4)

2 2
(–2, 0) x (–2, 0) x
–4 2 4 –4 2 4
–2 –2 (0, 0)
2x – y = –4 2x – y = –4
(a) (b)

NOW WORK PROBLEM 7.

EXAMPLE 3 Graphing Linear Inequalities

Graph: (a) x  3 (b) 2x  y

SOLUTION (a) The corresponding linear equation is x  3, a vertical line. If we choose (0, 0) as
the test point, we find that it satisfies the inequality [0  3], so all points to the left
of, and on, the vertical line also satisfy the inequality. See Figure 3(a).
(b) The corresponding linear equation is 2x  y. Since its graph passes through (0, 0),
we choose the point (0, 2) as the test point. The inequality is satisfied by the point
(0, 2)[2(0)  2], so all points on the same side of the line as (0, 2) also satisfy the
inequality. See Figure 3(b).

FIGURE 3 y y

2 (0, 2) (1, 2)
(0, 0) x (0, 0) x
–4 –2 2 4 –4 –2 2 4
–2 –2
x=3
2x = y
(a) (b) ◗
162 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

The set of points belonging to the graph of a linear inequality [for example, the
shaded region in Figure 3(b)] is called a half-plane.

NOW WORK PROBLEM 5.

COMMENT: A graphing utility can be used to obtain the graph of a linear inequality.
See “Using a graphing utility to graph inequalities” in Appendix C, Section C.4, for a
discussion. ◗

Systems of Linear Inequalities

Graph systems of linear 2 A system of linear inequalities is a collection of two or more linear inequalities. To
inequalities graph a system of two inequalities we locate all points whose coordinates satisfy each
of the linear inequalities of the system.

Determining Whether a Point Belongs to the Graph of a System of

EXAMPLE 4
Two Linear Inequalities

Determine which of the following points are part of the graph of the system of linear
inequalities:
2x  y  6 (1)

x  y  3 (2)
(a) P1  (6, 0) (b) P2  (3, 5) (c) P3  (0, 0) (d) P4  (3, 2)

SOLUTION We check to see if the given point satisfies each of the inequalities of the system.
(a) P1  (6, 0)
2x  y  2(6)  0  12 xy606
2x  y  6 xy3
P1 satisfies inequality (2) but not inequality (1), so P1 is not part of the graph of the
system.
(b) P2  (3, 5)
2x  y  2(3)  5  11 x  y  3  5  2
2x  y  6 xy3
P2 satisfies neither inequality (1) nor inequality (2), so P2 is not part of the graph of
the system.
(c) P3  (0, 0)
2x  y  2(0)  0  0 xy000
2x  y  6 xy3
P3 satisfies inequality (1) but not inequality (2), so P3 is not part of the graph of the
system.
(d) P4  (3, 2)
2x  y  2(3)  (2)  4 x  y  3  (2)  5
2x  y  6 xy3
P4 satisfies both inequality (1) and inequality (2), so P4 is part of the graph of the
system. ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 13.
 Systems of Linear Inequalities 163

Let’s graph the information from Example 4. Figure 4(a) shows the graph of each of
the lines 2x  y  6 and x  y  3 and the four points P1, P2, P3, and P4. Notice that
because the two lines of the system intersect, the plane is divided into four regions.
Since the graph of each linear inequality of the system is a half-plane, the graph of the
system of linear inequalities is the intersection of these two half-planes. As a result, the
region containing P4 is the graph of the system. See Figure 4(b).
We use the method described above in the next example.

FIGURE 4 y y
(0, 6) (0, 6)

P2 x–y = 3 P2 x–y = 3
4 4

(3, 0) (3, 0)
x x
–4 P3 4 P1 –4 P3 4 P1

P4 P4
(0, –3) (0, –3)
–4 –4

2x + y = 6 2x + y = 6
(a) (b)

EXAMPLE 5 Graphing a System of Two Linear Inequalities

Graph the system: 2xx  yy  4

1
SOLUTION First we graph each inequality separately. See Figures 5(a) and 5(b).
The solution of the system consists of all points common to these two half-planes.
The dark blue shaded region in Figure 6 represents the solution of the system.

FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
y y y

6 6 6
2x – y ≤ –4 x + y ≥ –1
4 (0, 4)
(0, 4)
2 2 2
(–2, 0) x x (–2, 0) (–1, 0) x
–4 2 –4 (–1, 0) 2 –4 2
(0, –1)
–2
(0, –1) –2

–4 –4
2x – y = –4 x + y = –1 2x – y = –4 x + y = –1
(a) (b) ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 17.

The lines in the system of linear inequalities given in Example 5 intersect. If the two
lines of a system of two linear inequalities are parallel, the system of linear inequalities
may or may not have a solution. Examples of such situations follow.
164 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

EXAMPLE 6 Graphing a System of Two Linear Inequalities

Graph the system: 2x2x  yy  4

2
SOLUTION First we graph each inequality separately. See Figures 7(a) and 7(b). The grey shaded
region in Figure 8 represents the solution of the system.
FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8
y y y
6 6
6
2x – y ≤ –4 2x – y ≤ –2
(0, 4) 4 (0, 4)
2 (0, 2)
(–2, 0) x (–1, 0) x (0, 2)
(–2, 0) x
–4 2 –4 –2 2
–4 (–1, 0) 2
–2 –2
–2
–4 –4
–4
2x – y = –4 2x – y = –2
(a) (b) ◗
Notice that the solution of this system is the same as that of the single linear
inequality 2x  y  4.

EXAMPLE 7 Graphing a System of Two Linear Inequalities

The solution of the system

2x2x  yy  4
2
is the grey shaded region in Figure 9.

FIGURE 9 y
6

(0, 4)

(0, 2)
(–2, 0) x
–4 (–1, 0) 2
–2

–4
2x – y = – 4 2x – y = –2 ◗

EXAMPLE 8 Graphing a System of Two Linear Inequalities

The system

2x2x  yy  4
2
 Systems of Linear Inequalities 165

has no solution, as Figure 10 indicates, because the two half-planes have no points
in common.

FIGURE 10 y
6

(0, 4)

(0, 2)
(–2, 0) x
–4 (–1, 0) 2
–2

–4
2x – y = –4 2x – y = –2 ◗
Until now, we have considered systems of only two linear inequalities. The next
example is of a system of four linear inequalities. As we shall see, the technique for
graphing such systems is the same as that used for graphing systems of two linear
inequalities in two variables.

EXAMPLE 9 Graphing a System of Four Linear Inequalities


xy2
2x  y  3
Graph the system:
x0
y0

SOLUTION Again we first graph the four lines:

L1: xy2
L2: 2x  y  3
L3: x0 (the y-axis)
L4: y0 (the x-axis)

The lines L1 and L2 intersect at the point (1, 1). (Do you see why?) The inequalities
x  0 and y  0 indicate that the graph of the system lies in quadrant I. The graph
of the system consists of that part of the graphs of the inequalities x  y  2 and
2x  y  3 that lies in quadrant I. See Figure 11.

FIGURE 11 y
L2
L1 6

(0, 3)

(0, 2) (1, 1)
(2, 0) x
–2 4 6
–2

(32 , 0)
2x + y = 3 x + y = 2 ◗
166 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

EXAMPLE 10 Graphing a System of Four Linear Inequalities


xy2
2x  y  3
Graph the system:
x0
y0

SOLUTION The lines associated with these linear inequalities are the same as those of the previous
example. Again the inequalities x  0, y  0 indicate that the graph of the system lies
in quadrant I. The graph of the system consists of that part of the graphs of the
inequalities x  y  2 and 2x  y  3 that lie in quadrant I. See Figure 12.

FIGURE 12 y
L2
L1 6

(0, 3)

(0, 2) (1, 1)
(0, 0) (2, 0) x
4

–2
(32 , 0)
2x+ y = 3 x+y = 2 ◗
Some Terminology
Compare the graphs of the systems of linear inequalities given in Figures 11 and 12.
The graph in Figure 11 is said to be unbounded in the sense that it extends infinitely
far in some direction. The graph in Figure 12 is bounded in the sense that it can be
enclosed by some circle of sufficiently large radius. See Figure 13.

FIGURE 13 y y

x x

(a) Bounded graph (b) Unbounded graph

The boundary of each of the graphs in Figures 11 and 12 consists of line segments.
In fact, the graph of any system of linear inequalities will have line segments as
boundaries. The point of intersection of two line segments that form the boundary is
called a corner point of the graph. For example, the graph of the system given in
Example 9 has the corner points (0, 3), (1, 1), and (2, 0). See Figure 11. The graph of
the system given in Example 10 has the corner points (0, 2), (0, 0), (32 , 0), (1, 1). See
Figure 12.
 Systems of Linear Inequalities 167

We shall soon see that the corner points of the graph of a system of linear inequali-
ties play a major role in the procedure for solving linear programming problems.

NOW WORK PROBLEMS 25 AND 29.

Application

EXAMPLE 11 Analyzing a Mixture Problem

Nutt’s Nuts has 75 pounds of cashews and 120 pounds of peanuts. These are to be
mixed in 1-pound packages as follows: a low-grade mixture that contains 4 ounces of
cashews and 12 ounces of peanuts and a high-grade mixture that contains 8 ounces of
cashews and 8 ounces of peanuts.

(a) Use x to denote the number of packages of the low-grade mixture and use y to
denote the number of packages of the high-grade mixture to be made and write a
system of linear inequalities that describes the possible number of each kind of
package.
(b) Graph the system and list its corner points.

SOLUTION (a) We begin by naming the variables:

x  Number of packages of low-grade mixture

y  Number of packages of high-grade mixture
First, we note that the only meaningful values for x and y are nonnegative values.
We restrict x and y so that
x0 and y0
Next, we note that there is a limit to the number of pounds of cashews and peanuts
available. That is, the total number of pounds of cashews cannot exceed 75 pounds
(1200 ounces), and the number of pounds of peanuts cannot exceed 120 pounds
(1920 ounces). This means that

     
Ounces of Ounces of Number of
Number of
cashews cashews packages
packages of cannot
required  required for of high- 1200
low-grade exceed
for low-grade high-grade grade
mixture
mixture mixture mixture

     
Ounces of Ounces of Number of
Number of
peanuts peanuts packages
packages of cannot
required  for high- of high- 1920
low-grade exceed
for low-grade grade grade
mixture
mixture mixture mixture

In terms of the data given and the variables introduced, we can write these state-
ments compactly as
4x  8y  1200
12x  8y  1920
168 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

The system of linear inequalities that gives the possible values x and y can take on is


4x  8y  1200
12x  8y  1920
x 0
y 0
(b) The system of linear inequalities given above can be simplified to the equivalent
form


x  2y  300 (1)
3x  2y  480 (2)
x 0 (3)
y 0 (4)

The graph of the system is given in Figure 14. Notice that the corner points of the
graph are labeled. Three are easy to identify by inspection: (0, 0), (0, 150), and
(160, 0). We found the remaining one (90, 105) by solving the system of equations

3xx  2y2y  300

480
By subtracting the first equation from the second, we find 2x  180 or x  90.
Back-substituting in the first equation, we find y  105.

FIGURE 14 x=0
y

(0, 240)
200
(0, 150) (90, 105)
100
(300, 0) x
y=0
(0, 0) 100
(160, 0) x + 2y = 300

3x + 2y = 480 ◗

EXERCISE 3.1 Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems Begin on Page AN-00.

In Problems 1–12, graph each inequality.

1. x  0 2. y  0 3. x  4 4. y  6
5. y  1 6. x  2 7. 2x  3y  6 8. 3x  2y  6

9. 5x  y  10 10. x  2y  4 11. x  5y  5 12. 3x  y  3

13. Without graphing, determine which of the points 14. Without graphing, determine which of the points
P1  (3, 8), P2  (12, 9), P3  (5, 1) are part of the graph of P1  (9, 5), P2  (12, 4), P3  (4, 1) are part of the
the following system: graph of the following system:

3xx  3y2y  00 5xx  4y2y  00

 Systems of Linear Inequalities 169

15. Without graphing, determine which of the points 16. Without graphing, determine which of the points
P1  (2, 3), P2  (10, 10), P3  (5, 1) are part of the graph of P1  (2, 6), P2  (12, 4), P3  (4, 2) are part of the graph of
the following system: the following system:

3xx2yy  150 2xx  3y5y  150

In Problems 17–24, determine which region a, b, c, or d represents the graph of the given system of lin-
ear inequalities. The regions a, b, c, and d are nonoverlapping regions bounded by the indicated lines.

17. 2x5x  5y4y  238 18. 4x4x  2y5y  280 19. 2xx  5y3y  150
y y y
d
c a
8 8 8
d
b 4 a 4
c b d
x x x
–8 –4 4 8 –8 –4 4 –8 4 8
–4 –4
a
–8 –8 –8 c
b

20. 2x6x  4y5y  305 21. 2x5x  6y3y  303 22. 5x6x  5y4y  1048
y y y
a a b
8 8
d d
4 4 4 c
b a
x b x x
–8 –4 4 8 –8 –4 4 8 –8 –4 4 8

–4 –4

–8 c –8 –8 d
c

23. 2x5x  4y4y  280 24. 2x3x  5y5y  530

y y
d a
8
a
4 4
b
c x d
x
–8 –4 4 8 –8 4 8
–4 –4
c
–8 b –8
170 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

In Problems 25 – 36, graph each system of linear inequalities. Tell whether the graph is bounded or
unbounded and list each corner point of the graph.


x y 2


xy2
xy2 2x  3y  6
  2x  3y  6 2x  3y  12
25. x0 26. x0 27. 28. 3x  2y  12
x0
y0 y0 x 0
y0 y 0

  
xy 2 xy2 xy 2
xy2


xy 8 xy8 2x  3y  12
2x  y  3
29. 2x  y  10 30. x  2y  1 31. 3x  y  12 32.
x0


x 0 x0 x 0
y0
y 0 y0 y 0

x  2y  1

 
x  2y  2 2x  y  2
x  2y  1


x  2y  10
xy4 3x  2y  6
y4 xy2
33. 34. 35. 3x  y  3 36. xy2
x0 xy8
x0 x0
y0 x0
y0 y0
y0

37. Rework Example 11 if 60 pounds of cashews and 90 pounds (a) Using x to denote the amount of money invested in
of peanuts are available. Treasury bills and y to denote the amount invested in
corporate bonds, write a system of inequalities that
38. Rework Example 11 if the high-grade mixture contains describes this situation.
10 ounces of cashews and 6 ounces of peanuts. (b) Graph the system and list its corner points.
39. Manufacturing Mike’s Famous Toy Trucks company manu- (c) Interpret the meaning of each corner point in relation to
factures two kinds of toy trucks — a dumpster and a tanker. the investments it represents.
In the manufacturing process, each dumpster requires 3 hours 42. Financial Planning Use the information supplied in Problem
of grinding and 4 hours of finishing, while each tanker 41, along with the fact that the couple will invest at least
requires 2 hours of grinding and 3 hours of finishing. The $20,000, to answer parts (a), (b), and (c).
company has two grinders and three finishers, each of whom
works at most 40 hours per week. 43. Nutrition A farmer prepares feed for livestock by combining
two types of grain. Each unit of the first grain contains
(a) Using x to denote the number of dumpsters and y to 1 unit of protein and 5 units of iron while each unit of the
denote the number of tankers, write a system of linear second grain contains 2 units of protein and 1 unit of iron.
inequalities that describes the possible numbers of each Each animal must receive at least 5 units of protein and
truck that can be manufactured. 16 units of iron each day.
(b) Graph the system and list its corner points.
(a) Write a system of linear inequalities that describes the
40. Manufacturing Repeat Problem 39 if one grinder and two possible amounts of each grain the farmer needs to pre-
finishers, each of whom works at most 40 hours per week, pare.
are available. (b) Graph the system and list the corner points.
41. Financial Planning A retired couple have up to $25,000 to 44. Investment Strategy Kathleen wishes to invest up to a total
invest. As their financial adviser, you recommend they place of $40,000 in class AA bonds and stocks. Furthermore, she
at least $15,000 in Treasury bills yielding 6% and at most believes that the amount invested in class AA bonds should
$10,000 in corporate bonds yielding 9%. be at most one-third of the amount invested in stocks.
 A Geometric Approach to Linear Programming Problems 171

(a) Write a system of linear inequalities that describes the microwaves from the eastern plant to its central warehouse
possible amount of investments in each security. and 20 hours from the Midwest plant to its central ware-
(b) Graph the system and list the corner points. house. It costs $80 to transport an order from the eastern
plant to the central warehouse and $40 from the midwestern
45. Nutrition To maintain an adequate daily diet, nutritionists
plant to its central warehouse. There are 1000 work-hours
recommend the following: at least 85 g of carbohydrate, 70 g of
available for packing, transportation, and so on, and $3000
fat, and 50 g of protein. An ounce of food A contains 5 g of car-
for transportation cost.
bohydrate, 3 g of fat, and 2 g of protein, while an ounce of food
B contains 4 g of carbohydrate, 3 g of fat, and 3 g of protein. (a) Write a system of linear inequalities that describes the
transportation system.
(a) Write a system of linear inequalities that describes the
(b) Graph the system and list the corner points.
possible quantities of each food.
(b) Graph the system and list the corner points. 47. Make up a system of linear inequalities that has no solution.

46. Transportation A microwave company has two plants, one 48. Make up a system of linear inequalities that has a single
on the East Coast and one in the Midwest. It takes 25 hours point as solution.
(packing, transportation, and so on) to transport an order of

3.2 A Geometric Approach to Linear Programming Problems

OBJECTIVES 1 Identify a linear programming problem
2 Solve a linear programming problem

Identify a linear program- 1 To help see the characteristics of a linear programming problem, we look again at
ming problem Example 11 of the previous section.
Nutt’s Nuts has 75 pounds of cashews and 120 pounds of peanuts. These are to be
mixed in 1-pound packages as follows: a low-grade mixture that contains 4 ounces of
cashews and 12 ounces of peanuts and a high-grade mixture that contains 8 ounces of
cashews and 8 ounces of peanuts.
Suppose that in addition to the information given above, we also know what the
profit will be on each type of mixture. For example, suppose the profit is $0.25 on each
package of the low-grade mixture and is $0.45 on each package of the high-grade mix-
ture. The question of importance to the manager is “How many packages of each type
of mixture should be prepared to maximize the profit?”
If P symbolizes the profit, x the number of packages of low-grade mixture, and y the
number of high-grade packages, then the question can be restated as “What are the val-
ues of x and y so that the expression
P  $0.25x  $0.45y
is a maximum?”
This problem is typical of a linear programming problem. It requires that a cer-
tain linear expression, in this case the profit, be maximized. This linear expression is
called the objective function. Furthermore, the problem requires that the maxi-
mum profit be achieved under certain restrictions or constraints, each of which are
linear inequalities involving the variables. The linear programming problem may be
restated as
Maximize
P  $0.25x  $0.45y Objective function
172 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

subject to the conditions that


x  2y  300 Cashew constraint
3x  2y  480 Peanut constraint
x 0 Nonnegativity constraint
y 0 Nonnegativity constraint

In general, every linear programming problem has two components:

1. A linear objective function to be maximized or minimized.

2. A collection of linear inequalities that must be satisfied simultaneously.
▲

Linear Programming Problem

A linear programming problem in two variables, x and y, consists of maximiz-
ing or minimizing an objective function

z  Ax  By

where A and B are given real numbers, not both zero, subject to certain conditions
or constraints expressible as a system of linear inequalities in x and y.

Let’s look at this definition more closely. To maximize (or minimize) the quantity
z  Ax  By means to locate the points (x, y) that result in the largest (or smallest) val-
ue of z. But not all points (x, y) are eligible. Only the points that obey all the con-
straints are potential solutions. We refer to such points as feasible points.
Solve a linear program- 2 In a linear programming problem we want to find the feasible point that maximizes
ming problem (or minimizes) the objective function.
By a solution to a linear programming problem we mean a feasible point (x, y),
together with the value of the objective function at that point, which maximizes (or
minimizes) the objective function. If none of the feasible points maximizes (or mini-
mizes) the objective function, or if there are no feasible points, then the linear pro-
gramming problem has no solution.

EXAMPLE 1 Solving a Linear Programming Problem

Minimize the quantity

z  x  2y
subject to the constraints
xy1
 x0
y0
 A Geometric Approach to Linear Programming Problems 173

SOLUTION The objective function to be minimized is z  x  2y. The constraints are the linear
inequalities
xy1

x0
y0

FIGURE 15 The shaded portion of Figure 15 illustrates the set of feasible points.
To see if there is a smallest z, we graph z  x  2y for some choice of z, say, z  3.
y
See Figure 16. By moving the line x  2y  3 parallel to itself, we can observe what
happens for different values of z. Since we want a minimum value for z, we try to move
z  x  2y down as far as possible while keeping some part of the line within the set of
(0, 1) (1, 0) x
feasible points. The “best” solution is obtained when the line just touches a corner
x+y = 1 point of the set of feasible points. If you refer to Figure 16, you will see that the best
solution is x  1, y  0, which yields z  1. There is no other feasible point for which z
is smaller.

FIGURE 16 y
x + 2y = z = 3
x + 2y = z = 2
x + 2y = z = 1

(1, 0) z=3
z=2
z=1
x+y = 1 ◗

The next example illustrates a linear programming problem that has no solution.

EXAMPLE 2 A Linear Programming Problem without a Solution

Maximize the quantity

z  x  2y
subject to the constraints
xy1
 x0
y0

SOLUTION First, we graph the constraints. The shaded portion of Figure 17 illustrates the set of
feasible points.
The graphs of the objective function z  x  2y for z  2, z  8, and z  12 are
also shown in Figure 17. Observe that we continue to get larger values for z by moving
the graph of the objective function upward. But there is no feasible point that will
make z largest. No matter how large a value is assigned to z, there is a feasible point that
174 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

FIGURE 17 will give a larger value. Since there is no feasible point that makes z largest, we conclude
y that this linear programming problem has no solution. ◗
6
Examples 1 and 2 demonstrate that sometimes a linear programming problem has
5 a solution and sometimes it does not. The next result gives conditions on the set of
4 x + 2y = z = 12 feasible points that determine when a solution to a linear programming problem
x+y = 1 3 exists.
2 x + 2y = z = 8
(0, 1)
1
x
▲
Existence of a Solution
(1, 0)
x + 2y = z = 2 Consider a linear programming problem with the set R of feasible points and
x+y = 1 objective function z  Ax  By.

1. If R is bounded, then z has both a maximum and a minimum value on R.

2. If R is unbounded and A  0, B  0, and the constraints include x  0 and y  0,
then z has a minimum value on R but not a maximum value (see Example 2).
3. If R is the empty set, then the linear programming problem has no solution and
z has neither a maximum nor a minimum value.

In Example 1 we found that the feasible point that minimizes z occurs at a corner
point. This is not an unusual situation. If there are feasible points minimizing (or max-
imizing) the objective function, at least one will be at a corner point of the set of feasi-
ble points.
▲

Fundamental Theorem of Linear Programming

If a linear programming problem has a solution, it is located at a corner point of the
set of feasible points; if a linear programming problem has multiple solutions, at
least one of them is located at a corner point of the set of feasible points. In either
case the corresponding value of the objective function is unique.

The result just stated indicates that it is possible for a feasible point that is not a
corner point to minimize (or maximize) the objective function. For example, if the
slope of the objective function is the same as the slope of one of the boundaries of
the set of feasible points and if the two adjacent corner points are solutions, then so
are all the points on the line segment joining them. The following example illustrates
this situation.

EXAMPLE 3 A Linear Programming Problem with Multiple Solutions

Minimize the quantity

z  x  2y
subject to the constraints
 A Geometric Approach to Linear Programming Problems 175

xy1

 2x  4y  3
x0
y0

SOLUTION Again we first graph the constraints. The shaded portion of Figure 18 illustrates the set
of feasible points.

FIGURE 18 y
2

(0, 1)
(12 , 12) x
1 2 z = x + 2y
(32 , 0)x + y = 1 z = x + 2y = 32
(2x + 4y = 3)

If we graph the objective equation z  x  2y for some choice of z and move it

down, we find that a minimum is reached when z  32. In fact, any point on the line
2x  4y  3 between the adjacent corner points (21, 12) and (32, 0) and including these cor-
ner points will minimize the objective function. Of course, the reason any feasible point
on 2x  4y  3 minimizes the objective equation z  x  2y is that these two lines each
have slope 12. This linear programming problem has infinitely many solutions. ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 1.

Since the objective function attains its maximum or minimum value at the corner
points of the set of feasible points, we can outline a procedure for solving a linear pro-
gramming problem provided that it has a solution.
▲

Steps for Solving a Linear Programming Problem

If a linear programming problem has a solution, follow these steps to find it:
STEP 1 Write an expression for the quantity that is to be maximized or minimized
(the objective function).
STEP 2 Determine all the constraints and graph the set of feasible points.
STEP 3 List the corner points of the set of feasible points.
STEP 4 Determine the value of the objective function at each corner point.
STEP 5 Select the maximum or minimum value of the objective function.

Let’s look at some examples.

176 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

EXAMPLE 4 Solving a Linear Programming Problem

Maximize and minimize the objective function

z  x  5y
subject to the constraints


x  4y  12 (1)
x 8 (2)
xy 2 (3)
x 0 (4)
y 0 (5)

SOLUTION The objective function is z  x  5y and the constraints consist of a system of five lin-
ear inequalities. We proceed to graph the system of five linear inequalities. The shaded
portion of Figure 19 illustrates the graph, the set of feasible points. Since this set is
bounded, we know a solution to the linear programming problem exists. Notice in
Figure 19 that we have labeled each line from the system of linear inequalities. We have
also labeled the corner points.
FIGURE 19 x=0 x=8
y

4
(0, 3)

(0, 2) (8, 1)
x
y=0
(2, 0) 4 (8, 0) 12
x + 4y = 12
x+y = 2

The corner points of the set of feasible points are

(0, 3) (8, 1) (8, 0) (2, 0) (0, 2)
To find the maximum and minimum value of the objective function z  x  5y, we
construct Table 1:
TABLE 1
Corner Point Value of Objective Function
(x, y) z  x  5y

(0, 3) z  0  5(3)  15
(8, 1) z  8  5(1)  13
(8, 0) z  8  5(0)  8
(2, 0) z  2  5(0)  2
(0, 2) z  0  5(2)  10

The maximum value of z is 15, and it occurs at the point (0, 3). The minimum value of
z is 2, and it occurs at the point (2, 0). ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEMS 17 AND 29.

Now let’s solve the problem of the cashews and peanuts that we discussed at the
start of this section.
 A Geometric Approach to Linear Programming Problems 177

EXAMPLE 5 Maximizing Profit

Maximize
P  0.25x  0.45y
subject to the constraints
x  2y  300


(1)
3x  2y  480 (2)
x 0 (3)
y 0 (4)

SOLUTION Before applying the method of this chapter to solve this problem, let’s discuss a solu-
tion that might be suggested by intuition. Namely, since the profit is higher for the
high-grade mixture, you might think that Nutt’s Nuts should prepare as many packages
of the high-grade mixture as possible. If this were done, then there would be a total of
150 packages (8 ounces divides into 75 pounds of cashews exactly 150 times) and the
total profit would be
150(0.45)  $67.50
As we shall see, this is not the best solution to the problem.
To obtain the maximum profit, we use linear programming. We reproduce here in
Figure 20 the graph of the set of feasible points we obtained earlier (see Figure 14,
page 168)

FIGURE 20 x=0
y

(0, 240)
200
(0, 150) (90, 105)
100
(300, 0) x
y=0
(0, 0) 100
(160, 0) x + 2y = 300

3x + 2y = 480

Notice that this set is bounded. The corner points of the set of feasible points are
(0, 0) (0, 150) (160, 0) (90, 105)
It remains only to evaluate the objective function at each corner point: see Table 2.

TABLE 2
Corner Point Value of Objective Function
(x, y) P  ($0.25)x  ($0.45)y

(0, 0) P  (0.25)(0)  (0.45)(0)  0

(0, 150) P  (0.25)(0)  (0.45)(150)  $67.50
(160, 0) P  (0.25)(160)  (0.45)(0)  $40.00
(90, 105) P  (0.25)(90)  (0.45)(105)  $69.75
178 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

A maximum profit is obtained if 90 packages of low-grade mixture and 105 packages

of high-grade mixture are made. The maximum profit obtainable under the conditions
described is $69.75. ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 49.

EXERCISE 3.2 Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems Begin on Page AN-00.

In Problems 1– 10, the given figure illustrates the graph of the set of feasible points of a linear
programming problem. Find the maximum and minimum values of each objective function.
y
1. z  2x  3y 2. z  3x  2y (7, 8)
8 (2, 7)
3. z  x  y 4. z  3x  3y
6
5. z  x  6y 6. z  6x  y
4
7. z  3x  4y 8. z  4x  3y
2
(2, 2)
9. z  10x  y 10. z  x  10y (8, 1) x
2 4 6 8 10

In Problems 11–16, list the corner points for each collection of constraints of a linear
programming problem.

x  13 x8 y  10

  
11. 12. 13.
4x  3y  12 2x  3y  6 x  y  15
x 0 x0 x 0
y 0 y0 y 0

 
y 8


14. 15. x  10 16. x 9
2x  y  10 y 8 y  12
x 0 4x  3y  12 2x  3y  24
y 0 x 0 x 0
y 0 y 0

In Problems 17–24, maximize (if possible) the quantity z  5x  7y subject to the given constraints.


xy2 2x  3y  6 xy2

  
17. 18. 19. 20. xy 2
y1 x2 2x  3y  6 2x  3y  12
x0 x0 x0 3x  2y  12
y0 y0 y0 x 0
y 0

 
x  y  10 xy8

 
21. xy 2 22. xy2 23. 24.
xy 8 xy8 x 6 y2
2x  y  10 x  2y  1 x 0 x0
x 0 x  2y  10 y 0 y0
y 0 x0
y0
 Applications 179

In Problems 25–32, minimize (if possible) the quantity z  2x  3y subject to the given
constraints.

 
xy2 3x  y  3

 
25. 26. 27. xy 2 28. xy8
yx yx x  3y  12 2x  3y  6
x0 x0 3x  y  12 xy2
y0 y0 x 0 x0
y 0 y0

   
29. xy2 30. 2y  x 31. x  2y  1 32. 2x  y  2
x  y  10 x  2y  10 x  2y  10 xy6
2x  3y  6 x  2y  4 y  2x 2x  y
x 0 x 0 xy8 x0
y 0 y 0 x0 y0
y0

In Problems 33–40, find the maximum and minimum values (if possible) of the given
objective function subject to the constraints


x  y  10
2x  y  10
x  2y  10
x 0
y 0

33. z  x  y 34. z  2x  3y 35. z  5x  2y 36. z  x  2y

37. z  3x  4y 38. z  3x  6y 39. z  10x  y 40. z  x  10y

41. Find the maximum and minimum values of z  18x  30y 46. Maximize z  10x  10y subject to the constraints
subject to the constraints 3x  3y  9, x  4y  12, and 0  x  15, 0  y  10, 6x  y  6, and 3x  y  7,
4x  y  12, where x  0 and y  0. where x  0 and y  0.
42. Find the maximum and minimum values of z  20x  16y
subject to the constraints 4x  3y  12, 2x  4y  16, 47. Maximize z  12x  24y subject to the constraints
and 6x  y  18, where x  0 and y  0. 0  x  15, 0  y  10, 3x  3y  9, and 3x  2y  14,
where x  0 and y  0.
43. Find the maximum and minimum values of z  7x  6y
subject to the constraints 2x  3y  6, 3x  4y  8, and
48. Maximize z  20x  10y subject to the constraints
5x  y  15, where x  0 and y  0.
0  x  15, 0  y  10, 4x  3y  12, and 3x  y  7,
44. Find the maximum and minimum values of z  6x  3y where x  0 and y  0.
subject to the constraints 2x  2y  4, x  5y  10, and
3x  3y  6, where x  0 and y  0. 49. In Example 5, if the profit on the low-grade mixture is $0.30
45. Maximize z  20x  30y subject to the constraints per package and the profit on the high-grade mixture is
0  x  15, 0  y  10, 5x  3y  15, and 3x  3y  21, $0.40 per package, how many packages of each mixture
where x  0 and y  0. should be made for a maximum profit?

3.3 Applications
OBJECTIVES 1 Solve applied problems

Solve applied problems 1 In this section, several situations that lead to linear programming problems are
presented.
180 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

EXAMPLE 1 Maximizing Profit

Mike’s Famous Toy Trucks manufactures two kinds of toy trucks — a standard model
and a deluxe model. In the manufacturing process each standard model requires
2 hours of grinding and 2 hours of finishing, and each deluxe model needs 2 hours of
grinding and 4 hours of finishing. The company has two grinders and three finishers,
each of whom works at most 40 hours per week. Each standard model toy truck brings
a profit of $3 and each deluxe model a profit of $4. Assuming that every truck made
will be sold, how many of each should be made to maximize profits?
SOLUTION First, we name the variables:
x  Number of standard models made
y  Number of deluxe models made
The quantity to be maximized is the profit, which we denote by P:
P  $3x  $4y
This is the objective function. To manufacture one standard model requires 2 grinding
hours and to make one deluxe model requires 2 grinding hours. The number of grind-
ing hours needed to manufacture x standard and y deluxe models is
2x  2y
But the total amount of grinding time available is only 80 hours per week. This means
we have the constraint
2x  2y  80 Grinding time constraint

Similarly, for the finishing time we have the constraint

2x  4y  120 Finishing time constraint

By simplifying each of these constraints and adding the nonnegativity constraints

x  0 and y  0, we may list all the constraints for this problem:


x  y  40 (1)
x  2y  60 (2)
x 0 (3)
y 0 (4)

Figure 21 illustrates the set of feasible points, which is bounded.

FIGURE 21 x=0
y
(0, 40)

(0, 30)
(20, 20)
20

10
(60, 0) x
y=0
(0, 0) 10 20 30 50 70 80
(40, 0)
x + y = 40 x + 2y = 60

The corner points of the set of feasible points are

(0, 0) (0, 30) (40, 0) (20, 20)
 Applications 181

Table 3 lists the corresponding values of the objective equation:

TABLE 3
Corner Point Value of Objective Function
(x, y) P  $3x  $4y

(0, 0) P0
(0, 30) P  $120
(40, 0) P  $120
(20, 20) P  3(20)  4(20)  $140

A maximum profit is obtained if 20 standard trucks and 20 deluxe trucks are manufac-
tured. The maximum profit is $140. ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 1.

EXAMPLE 2 Financial Planning

A retired couple have up to $30,000 to invest in fixed-income securities. Their broker

recommends investing in two bonds: one a AAA bond yielding 8%; the other a B
bond paying 12%. After some consideration, the couple decide to invest at most
$12,000 in the B-rated bond and at least $6000 in the AAA bond. They also want the
amount invested in the AAA bond to exceed or equal the amount invested in the B
bond. What should the broker recommend if the couple (quite naturally) want to max-
imize the return on their investment?

SOLUTION First, we name the variables:

x  Amount invested in the AAA bond
y  Amount invested in the B bond
The quantity to be maximized, the couple’s return on investment, which we denote by
P, is
P  0.08x  0.12y
This is the objective function. The conditions specified by the problem are
Up to $30,000 available to invest x  y  30,000
Invest at most $12,000 in the B bond y  12,000
Invest at least $6000 in the AAA bond x  6000
Amount in the AAA bond must exceed xy
or equal the amount in the B bond
In addition, we must have the conditions x  0 and y  0. The total list of con-
straints is


x  y  30,000 (1)
y  12,000 (2)
x  6000 (3)
xy (4)
x0 (5)
y0 (6)
182 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

Figure 22 illustrates the set of feasible points, which is bounded. The corner points of
the set of feasible points are

(6000, 0) (6000, 6000) (12000, 12000) (18000, 12000) (30000, 0)

FIGURE 22 x=0
y
x = 6,000
30,000 x=y

24,000

18,000

(18,000, 12,000)
y = 12,000
12,000
(12,000, 12,000)
6,000
(6,000, 6,000)
(30,000, 0) x
y=0
6,000

12,000

18,000

24,000

30,000

36,000

42,000
x + y = 30,000

The corresponding return on investment at each corner point is

P  0.08(6000)  0.12(0)  $480

P  0.08(6000)  0.12(6000)  480  720  $1200
P  0.08(12,000)  0.12(12,000)  960  1440  $2400
P  0.08(18,000)  0.12(12,000)  1440  1440  $2880
P  0.08(30,000)  0.12(0)  $2400

The maximum return on investment is $2880, obtained by placing $18,000 in the AAA
bond and $12,000 in the B bond. ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 3.

EXAMPLE 3 Manufacturing Vitamin Pills — Maximizing Profit

A pharmaceutical company makes two types of vitamins at its New Jersey plant — a
high-potency, antioxidant vitamin and a vitamin enriched with added calcium. Each
high-potency vitamin contains, among other things, 500 mg of vitamin C and 40 mg of
calcium and generates a profit of $0.10 per tablet. A calcium-enriched vitamin tablet
contains 100 mg of vitamin C and 400 mg of calcium and generates a profit of
$0.05 per tablet. Each day the company has available 235 kg of vitamin C and 156 kg
of calcium for use. Assuming all vitamins made are sold, how many of each type of
vitamin should be manufactured to maximize profit?
Source: Centrum Vitamin Supplements.
 Applications 183

SOLUTION First we name the variables:

x  Number (in thousands) of high-potency vitamins to be produced

y  Number (in thousands) of calcium-enriched vitamins to be produced

We want to maximize the profit, P, which is given by:

P  0.10x  0.05y x and y in thousands

Since 1 kg  1,000,000 mg, the constraints, in mg, take the form


500x  100y  235,000 vitamin C constraint (in thousands of mg)
40x  400y  156,000 calcium constraint (in thousands of mg)
x 0 non-negativity constraints (in thousands)
y 0

Figure 23 illustrates the set of feasible points, which is bounded. The corner points of
the set of feasible points are
(0, 0) (0, 390) (400, 350) (470, 0)

FIGURE 23 x=0
y

(0, 2,350)

(0, 390)
(400, 350)
40x + 400y = 156,000 x
y=0
(0, 0) (470, 0) (3,900, 0)
500x + 100y = 235,000
184 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

Since x and y are in thousands, the profit corresponding to each corner point is
P  0.10(0)  0.05(0)  0  $0
P  0.10(0)  0.05(390)  19.5 thousand  $19,500
P  0.10(400)  0.05(350)  57.5 thousand  $57,500
P  0.10(470)  0.05(0)  47 thousand  $47,000
The maximum profit is $57,500, obtained when 400,000 high-potency vitamins are
produced (x  400 thousand units) and 350,000 calcium-enriched vitamins are pro-
duced (y  350 thousand units). ◗
NOW WORK PROBLEM 5.

EXERCISE 3.3 Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems Begin on Page AN-00.

1. Optimal Land Use A farmer has 70 acres of land available type B bond yielding a 15% return on the amount invested.
on which to grow some soybeans and some corn. The cost of She wants to invest at least as much in the type A bond as in
cultivation per acre, the workdays needed per acre, and the the type B bond. She will also invest at least $5000 in the
profit per acre are indicated in the table: type A bond and no more than $8000 in the type B bond.
How much should she invest in each type of bond to maxi-
mize her return?
Total
Soybeans Corn Available 4. Diet A diet is to contain at least 400 units of vitamins,
500 units of minerals, and 1400 calories. Two foods are
Cultivation Cost available: F1, which costs $0.05 per unit, and F2, which
per Acre $60 $30 $1800 costs $0.03 per unit. A unit of food F1 contains 2 units
Days of Work of vitamins, 1 unit of minerals, and 4 calories; a unit of
per Acre 3 days 4 days 120 days food F2 contains 1 unit of vitamins, 2 units of minerals, and
4 calories. Find the minimum cost for a diet that consists of
Profit per Acre $300 $150 a mixture of these two foods and also meets the minimal
nutrition requirements.
As indicated in the last column, the acreage to be cultivated 5. Manufacturing Vitamin Pills After changing suppliers, the
is limited by the amount of money available for cultivation pharmaceutical company in Example 3 has 300 kg of
costs and by the number of working days that can be put vitamin C and 220 kg of calcium available each day for the
into this part of the business. Find the number of acres of manufacture of the high-potency, antioxidant vitamins and
each crop that should be planted in order to maximize the vitamins enriched with added calcium. If each high-potency
profit. vitamin contains, among other things, 500 mg of vitamin C
and 40 mg of calcium and generates a profit of $0.10 per
2. Manufacturing A factory manufactures two products, each
tablet, and each calcium-enriched vitamin tablet contains
requiring the use of three machines. The first machine can 100 mg of vitamin C and 400 mg of calcium and generates a
be used at most 70 hours; the second machine at most profit of $0.05 per tablet, how many of each type of vitamin
40 hours; and the third machine at most 90 hours. The first should be manufactured to maximize profit?
product requires 2 hours on machine 1, 1 hour on machine
2, and 1 hour on machine 3; the second product requires Source: Centrum Vitamin Supplements.
1 hour each on machines 1 and 2, and 3 hours on machine 3.
6. Investment Strategy A financial consultant wishes to
If the profit is $40 per unit for the first product and $60 per
invest up to a total of $30,000 in two types of securities, one
unit for the second product, how many units of each prod-
that yields 10% per year and another that yields 8% per year.
uct should be manufactured to maximize profit?
Furthermore, she believes that the amount invested in the
3. Investment Strategy An investment broker wants to invest first security should be at most one-third of the amount
up to $20,000. She can purchase a type A bond yielding a invested in the second security. What investment program
10% return on the amount invested, and she can purchase a should the consultant pursue in order to maximize income?
 Applications 185

7. Scheduling Blink Appliances has a sale on microwaves and tains 60 calories, 13 g of carbohydrates, and 100% of the
stoves. Each microwave requires 2 hours to unpack and set up, recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Determine
and each stove requires 1 hour. The storeroom space is limited how many servings of each of the above foods would be
to 50 items. The budget of the store allows only 80 hours of needed to provide a child at least 160 calories, 40 g of car-
employee time for unpacking and setup. Microwaves sell for bohydrates, and 70% of the recommended daily allowance
$300 each, and stoves sell for $200 each. How many of each of vitamin C at minimum cost. Fractions of servings are
should the store order to maximize revenue? permitted.
8. Transportation An appliance company has a warehouse and Source: Gerber website and Safeway Stores, Inc.
two terminals. To minimize shipping costs, the manager
must decide how many appliances should be shipped to each 12. Production Scheduling A company produces two types of
terminal. There is a total supply of 1200 units in the ware- steel. Type 1 requires 2 hours of melting, 4 hours of cutting,
house and a demand for 400 units in terminal A and 500 and 10 hours of rolling per ton. Type 2 requires 5 hours of
units in terminal B. It costs $12 to ship each unit to terminal melting, 1 hour of cutting, and 5 hours of rolling per ton.
A and $16 to ship to terminal B. How many units should be Forty hours are available for melting, 20 for cutting, and 60
shipped to each terminal in order to minimize cost? for rolling. Each ton of Type 1 produces $240 profit, and
each ton of Type 2 yields $80 profit. Find the maximum
9. Pension Fund Investments A pension fund has decided to
profit and the production schedule that will produce this
invest $45,000 in the two high-yield stocks listed in the table profit.
below.
13. Website Ads Nielson’s Net Ratings for the month of
Price per Share
December 2002 indicated that in the United States, AOL had
2/21/03 Yield
a unique audience of about 76.4 million people and Yahoo!
Duke Energy Corp. $14 8% had a unique audience of about 66.2 million people. An
advertising company wants to purchase website ads to pro-
Eastman Kodak $30 6% mote a new product. Suppose that the monthly cost of an ad
on the AOL website is $1200 and the monthly cost of an ad
This pension fund has decided to invest at least 25% of the on the Yahoo! website is $1100. Determine how many
$45,000 in each of the two stocks. Further, it has been decid- months an ad should run on each website to maximize the
ed that at most 63% of the $45,000 can be invested in either number of people who would be exposed to it. Assume that,
one of the stocks. How many shares of each stock should be for future months, the monthly website audience remains
purchased in order to maximize the annual yield, while the same as given for December 2002. Also assume that the
meeting the stipulated requirements? What is the annual advertising budget is $35,000 and that it has been decided to
yield in dollars for the optimal investment plan? advertise on Yahoo! for at least ten months.

Source: Yahoo! Finance. Prices and yields have been rounded. Source: Nielson’s Net Ratings.

10. Pollution Control A chemical plant produces two items A 14. Diet Danny’s Chicken Farm is a producer of frying chick-
and B. For each item A produced, 2 cubic feet of carbon ens. In order to produce the best fryers possible, the regular
monoxide and 6 cubic feet of sulfur dioxide are emitted chicken feed is supplemented by four vitamins. The mini-
into the atmosphere; to produce item B, 4 cubic feet of car- mum amount of each vitamin required per 100 ounces of
bon monoxide and 3 cubic feet of sulfur dioxide are emit- feed is: vitamin 1, 50 units; vitamin 2, 100 units; vitamin 3,
ted into the atmosphere. Government pollution standards 60 units; vitamin 4, 180 units. Two supplements are avail-
permit the manufacturer to emit a maximum of 3000 cubic able: supplement I costs $0.03 per ounce and contains 5
feet of carbon monoxide and 5400 cubic feet of sulfur units of vitamin 1 per ounce, 25 units of vitamin 2 per
dioxide per week. The manufacturer can sell all of the items ounce, 10 units of vitamin 3 per ounce, and 35 units of vita-
that it produces and makes a profit of $1.50 per unit for min 4 per ounce. Supplement II costs $0.04 per ounce and
item A and $1.00 per unit for item B. Determine the num- contains 25 units of vitamin 1 per ounce, 10 units of vitamin
ber of units of each item to be produced each week to max- 2 per ounce, 10 units of vitamin 3 per ounce, and 20 units of
imize profit without exceeding government standards. vitamin 4 per ounce. How much of each supplement should
Danny buy to add to each 100 ounces of feed in order to
11. Baby Food Servings Gerber Banana Plum Granola minimize his cost, but still have the desired vitamin amounts
costs $0.89 per 5.5-oz serving; each serving contains 140 present?
calories, 31 g of carbohydrates, and 0% of the recommend-
ed daily allowance of vitamin C. Gerber Mixed Fruit 15. Maximizing Income J. B. Rug Manufacturers has available
Carrot Juice costs $0.79 per 4-oz serving; each serving con- 1200 square yards of wool and 1000 square yards of nylon for
186 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

the manufacture of two grades of carpeting: high-grade, square yard. How many rolls of each type of carpet should be
which sells for $500 per roll, and low-grade, which sells for manufactured to maximize income? [Hint: Income 
$300 per roll. Twenty square yards of wool and 40 square Revenue from sale  (Production cost for material  labor)]
yards of nylon are used in a roll of high-grade carpet, and
40 square yards of nylon are used in a roll of low-grade carpet. 16. The rug manufacturer in Problem 15 finds that maximum
Forty work-hours are required to manufacture each roll of the income occurs when no high-grade carpet is produced. If the
high-grade carpet, and 20 work-hours are required for each price of the low-grade carpet is kept at $300 per roll, in what
roll of the low-grade carpet, at an average cost of $6 per work- price range should the high-grade carpet be sold so that
hour. A maximum of 800 work-hours are available. The cost income is maximized by selling some rolls of each type of
of wool is $5 per square yard and the cost of nylon is $2 per carpet? Assume all other data remain the same.

Chapter 3 Review
OBJECTIVES
Section You should be able to Review Exercises
3.1 1 Graph linear inequalities 1–4
2 Graph systems of linear inequalities 9–14
3.2 1 Identify a linear programming problem 33 – 38
2 Solve a linear programming problem 15 – 32
3.3 1 Solve applied problems 33 – 38

THINGS TO KNOW
Graphs of Inequalities (p. 160) Linear Programming (p. 172)
The graph of a strict inequality is represented by a dashed Maximize (or minimize) a linear objective function,
line and the half-plane satisfying the inequality. z  Ax  By, subject to certain conditions, or constraints,
The graph of a nonstrict inequality is represented by a sol- expressible as linear inequalities in x and y. A feasible point
id line and the half-plane satisfying the inequality. (x, y) is a point that satisfies the constraints of a linear pro-
gramming problem.
Graphs of Systems of Linear Inequalities (p. 162)
The graph of a system of linear inequalities is the set of all Solution to a Linear Programming Problem (p. 172)
points that satisfy each inequality in the system. A solution to a linear programming problem is a feasible
point that maximizes (or minimizes) the objective function
Bounded (p. 166) together with the value of the objective function at that point.
The graph is called bounded if some circle can be drawn
around it. Location of Solution (p. 174)
The graph is called unbounded if it extends infinitely far If a linear programming problem has a solution, it is locat-
in at least one direction. ed at a corner point of the graph of the feasible points.
If a linear programming problem has multiple solutions,
Corner Point (p. 166) at least one of them is located at a corner point of the
A corner point is the intersection of two line segments graph of the feasible points.
that form the boundary of the graph of a system of linear In either case, the corresponding value of the objective
inequalities. function is unique.
 Chapter Review 187

TRUE–FALSE ITEMS Answers are on page AN-00.

T F 1. The graph of a system of linear inequalities may T F 4. In a linear programming problem, there may be
be bounded or unbounded. more than one point that maximizes or mini-
T F 2. The graph of the set of constraints of a linear mizes the objective function.
programming problem, under certain conditions, T F 5. Some linear programming problems will have no
could have a circle for a boundary. solution.
T F 3. The objective function of a linear programming T F 6. If a linear programming problem has a solution,
problem is always a linear equation involving the it is located at the center of the set of feasible
variables. points.
FILL IN THE BLANKS Answers are on page AN-00.
1. The graph of a linear inequality in two variables is 4. A linear programming problem will always have a solution
called a . if the set of feasible points is .
2. In a linear programming problem the quantity to be maxi- 5. If a linear programming problem has a solution, it is
mized or minimized is referred to as the located at a of the set of feasible points.
function.
3. The points that obey the collection of constraints of a linear
programming problem are called points.

REVIEW EXERCISES Answers to odd-numbered problems begin on page AN-00.

Blue problem numbers indicate the author’s suggestions for use in a practice test.
In Problems 1–4, graph each linear inequality.
1. x  3y  0 2. 4x  y  0 3. 5x  y  10 4. 2x  3y  6

5. Without graphing, determine which of the points 6. Without graphing, determine which of the points
P1  (4, 3), P2  (2, 6), P3  (8, 3) are part of the P1  (8, 6), P2  (2, 5), P3  (4, 1) are part of the
graph of the following system: graph of the following system:
x  2y  8 5x  y 
2x   x  4y  2
2
y4
In Problems 7–8, determine which region — a, b, c, or d — represents the graph of the
given system of linear inequalities.
6x  4y  12 6x  5y  5
3x  2y  18 6x  6y  60
y y
7. b 8. b
8 8
c
4 c 4
a a
x x
–8 –4 4 8 –8 –4 4 8
–4

–8 d
–8 d

In Problems 9–14, graph each system of linear inequalities. Locate the corner points and tell
whether the graph is bounded or unbounded.
3x  2y  xy  x  2y 

  
12 8 4
x y  4 2x  y  4 3x  y  6
9. 10. 11.
x  0 x  0 x  0
y  0 y  0 y  0
188 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

3x  2y  x y 

 
2x  y  6 8


4
3x  2y  6 3x  2y  12 x  2y  10
12.
x  0 13. x  2y  8 14. y  8
y  0 x 0 x  0
y 0 y  0

In Problems 15 – 22, use the constraints below to solve each linear programming problem.
x  2y  40


2x  y  40
x  y  10
x 0
y 0
15. Maximize z  x  y 16. Maximize z  2x  3y 17. Minimize z  5x  2y 18. Minimize z  3x  2y

19. Maximize z  2x  y 20. Maximize z  x  2y 21. Minimize z  2x  5y 22. Minimize z  x  y

In Problems 23 – 26, maximize and minimize (if possible) the quantity z  15x  20y
subject to the given constraints.
x  2y  2x  3y  x  2y  20

  
x 4 22


23. 5 24. 25. 26.
y 8 3x  2y  6 x 5 x  10y  36
3x  4y  12 x 0 y 6 5x  2y  36
x 0 y 0 x 0 x 0
y 0 y 0 y 0

In Problems 27 – 32, solve each linear programming problem.

27. Maximize 28. Maximize 29. Maximize

z  2x  3y z  4x  y z  x  2y
subject to the constraints subject to the constraints subject to the constraints


x xy

 
9 x7 1
y 8 y8 y 2x
xy 3 xy2 x 8
x 0 x0 y 8
y 0 y0 x 0
y 0

30. Maximize 31. Minimize 32. Minimize

z  3x  4y z  3x  2y z  2x  5y
subject to the constraints subject to the constraints subject to the constraints


x  2y  x  2y  x

 
2 8 10
3x  2y  12 3x  y  6 y 12
y 5 x 8 2x  y  10
x 0 x 0 xy 0
y 0 y 0 x 0
y 0
 Chapter Review 189

33. Maximizing Profit A ski manufacturer makes two types contains 60 calories, 15 g of carbohydrates, and 100%
of skis: downhill and cross-country. Using the informa- of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
tion given in the table below, how many of each type of Determine how many servings of each of the above
ski should be made for a maximum profit to be achieved? foods would be needed to provide a child with at least
What is the maximum profit? 130 calories, 30 g of carbohydrates, and 60% of the rec-
ommended daily allowance of vitamin C at minimum
cost. Fractions of servings are permitted.

Source: Gerber website and Safeway Stores, Inc.

Maximum
Cross- Time
38. Maximizing Profit A company makes two explosives:
Downhill Country Available
type I and type II. Due to storage problems, a
Manufacturing maximum of 100 pounds of type I and 150 pounds of
type II can be mixed and packaged each week. One
Time per Ski 2 hours 1 hour 40 hours
pound of type I takes 60 hours to mix and 70 hours to
Finishing Time package; 1 pound of type II takes 40 hours to mix and
per Ski 1 hour 1 hour 32 hours 40 hours to package. The mixing department has at
most 7200 work-hours available each week, and pack-
Profit per Ski $70 $50
aging has at most 7800 work-hours available. If the
profit for 1 pound of type I is $60 and for 1 pound of
type II is $40, what is the maximum profit possible
each week?
34. Rework Problem 33 if the manufacturing unit has a maxi-
mum of 48 hours available. 39. A pharmaceutical company makes two types of vitamins at
its New Jersey plant — a high-potency, antioxidant vitamin
35. Nutrition Katy needs at least 60 units of carbohydrates, and a vitamin enriched with added calcium. Each high-
45 units of protein, and 30 units of fat each month. potency vitamin contains, among other things, 500 mg
From each pound of food A, she receives 5 units of of vitamin C, 40 mg of calcium, and 100 mg of magne-
carbohydrates, 3 of protein, and 4 of fat. Food B con- sium and generates a profit of $0.10 per tablet. A calci-
tains 2 units of carbohydrates, 2 units of protein, and um-enriched vitamin tablet contains 100 mg of vitamin
1 unit of fat per pound. If food A costs $1.30 per pound C, 400 mg of calcium, and 40 mg of magnesium and
and food B costs $0.80 per pound, how many pounds of generates a profit of $0.05 per tablet. Each day the com-
each food should Katy buy each month to keep costs at pany has available 300 kg of vitamin C, 122 kg of calci-
a minimum? um, and 65 kg of magnesium for use in the production of
the vitamins. How many of each type of vitamin should
36. Production Scheduling A company sells two types of be manufactured to maximize profit?
shoes. The first uses 2 units of leather and 2 units of
synthetic material and yields a profit of $8 per pair. The Source: Centrum Vitamin Supplements.
second type requires 5 units of leather and 1 unit of syn-
thetic material and gives a profit of $10 per pair. If there 40. Mixture A company makes two kinds of animal food, A
are 40 units of leather and 16 units of synthetic material and B, which contain two food supplements. It takes
available, how many pairs of each type of shoe should be 2 pounds of the first supplement and one pound of the
manufactured to maximize profit? What is the maximum second to make a dozen cans of food A, and 4 pounds of
profit? the first supplement and 5 pounds of the second to make
a dozen cans of food B. On a certain day 80 pounds of the
37. Baby Food Servings Gerber Banana Oatmeal and Peach first supplement and 70 pounds of the second are avail-
costs $0.79 per 4-oz serving; each serving contains 90 able. How many cans of food A and food B should be
calories, 19 g of carbohydrates, and 45% of the recom- made to maximize company profits, if the profit on a
mended daily allowance of vitamin C. Gerber Mixed dozen cans of food A is $3.00 and the profit on a dozen
Fruit Juice costs $0.65 per 4-oz serving; each serving cans of food B is $10.00.
190 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

Chapter 3 Project
BALANCING NUTRIENTS
In preparing a recipe you must decide what ingredients and least 12 of the amount of peanuts and the amount of peanuts
how much of each ingredient you will use. In these health- to be at least 12 of the amount of raisins. You want the
conscious days, you may also want to consider the amount of entire amount of trail mix you make to have fewer than 4000
certain nutrients in your recipe. You may even be interested calories, and you want to maximize the amount of carbohy-
in minimizing some quantities (like calories or fat) or maxi- drates in the mix.
mizing others (like carbohydrates or protein). Linear pro-
gramming techniques can help to do this. 1. Let x be the number of cups of peanuts you will use, let y
For example, consider making a very simple trail mix from be the number of cups of raisins you will use, and let c be
dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts and seedless raisins. Table 1 lists the amount of carbohydrates in the mix. Find the objec-
the amounts of various dietary quantitites for these ingredi- tive function.
ents. The amounts are given per serving of the ingredient. 2. What constraints must be placed on the objective function?

3. Graph the set of feasible points for this problem.

TABLE 1 NUTRIENTS IN PEANUTS AND RAISINS
4. Find the number of cups of peanuts and raisins that
Peanuts Raisins maximize the amount of carbohydrates in the mix.
Serving Serving
5. How many grams of carbohydrates are in a cup of the
Nutrient Size  1 Cup Size  1 Cup
final mix? How many calories?
Calories (kcal) 850 440 6. Under all of the constraints given above, what recipe for
Protein (g) 34.57 4.67 trail mix will maximize the amount of protein in the mix?
How many grams of protein are in a cup of this mix?
Fat(g) 72.50 .67
How many calories?
Carbohydrates (g) 31.40 114.74
7. Suppose you decide to eat at least 3 cups of the trail mix.
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Keeping the constraints given above, what recipe for trail
Reference. www.nal.gov/fnic/foodcomp. mix will minimize the amount of fat in the mix?
8. How many grams of carbohydrates are in this mix?
Suppose that you want to make at most 6 cups of trail
9. How many grams of protein are in this mix?
mix for a day hike. You don’t want either ingredient to domi-
nate the mixture, so you want the amount of raisins to be at 10. Which of the three trail mixes would you use? Why?
 Chapter Project 191

MATHEMATICAL QUESTIONS FROM PROFESSIONAL EXAMS

Use the following information to do Problems 1–3:
The Random Company manufactures two products, Zeta and Beta. Each product must pass
through two processing operations. All materials are introduced at the start of process 1. There
are no work-in-process inventories. Random may produce either one product exclusively or var-
ious combinations of both products subject to the following constraints:

Contribution
Process Process Margin
No. 1 No. 2 per Unit

Hours required to produce one

unit of
Zeta 1 hour 1 hour $4.00
Beta 2 hours 3 hours 5.25
Total capacity in hours per day 1000 hours 1275 hours

A shortage of technical labor has limited Beta production to 400 units per day. There are no
constraints on the production of Zeta other than the hour constraints in the above schedule.
Assume that all relationships between capacity and production are linear, and that all of the
above data and relationships are deterministic rather than probabilistic.
1. CPA Exam Given the objective to maximize total contri- 6 hours of time on machine 1 and 12 hours of time on
bution margin, what is the production constraint for machine 2. Product Y requires 4 hours of time on
process 1? machine 1 and no time on machine 2. Both machines
are available for 24 hours. Assuming that the objective
(a) Zeta  Beta  1000
function of the total contribution margin is $2X 
(b) Zeta  2 Beta  1000
$1Y, what product mix will produce the maximum
(c) Zeta  Beta  1000
profit?
(d) Zeta  2 Beta  1000
(a) No units of product X and 6 units of product Y.
2. CPA Exam Given the objective to maximize total contri- (b) 1 unit of product X and 4 units of product Y.
bution margin, what is the labor constraint for produc- (c) 2 units of product X and 3 units of product Y.
tion of Beta? (d) 4 units of product X and no units of product Y.
(a) Beta  400 (b) Beta  400
5. CPA Exam Quepea Company manufactures two prod-
(c) Beta  425 (d) Beta  425
ucts, Q and P, in a small building with limited capacity.
3. CPA Exam What is the objective function of the data The selling price, cost data, and production time are
presented? given below:

(a) Zeta  2 Beta  $9.25

(b) ($4.00)Zeta  3($5.25)Beta  Total contribution
margin Product Q Product P
(c) ($4.00)Zeta  ($5.25)Beta  Total contribution
margin Selling price per unit $20 $17
(d) 2($4.00)Zeta  3($5.25)Beta  Total contribution
Variable costs of producing
margin
and selling a unit $12 $13
4. CPA Exam Williamson Manufacturing intends to Hours to produce a unit 3 1
produce two products, X and Y. Product X requires
192 Chapter 3 Linear Programming: Geometric Approach

Based on this information, the profit maximization number of units of each product that may be processed in
objective function for a linear programming solution the two departments.
may be stated as
y
(a) Maximize $20Q  $17P.

Units of product B
40 Polishing
(b) Maximize $12Q  $13P. constraint
(restriction)
(c) Maximize $3Q  $1P. 30
Grinding
(d) Maximize $8Q  $4P. 20 constraint
(restriction)
10
6. CPA Exam Patsy, Inc., manufactures two products, X and x
Y. Each product must be processed in each of three depart- 0 10 20 30 40
ments: machining, assembling, and finishing. The hours Units of product A
needed to produce one unit of product per department
and the maximum possible hours per department follow: Considering the constraints (restrictions) on processing,
which combination of products A and B maximizes the
Production total contribution margin?
Hours
per Unit Maximum Capacity (a) 0 units of A and 20 units of B.
Department X Y in Hours (b) 20 units of A and 10 units of B.
(c) 30 units of A and 0 units of B.
Machining 2 1 420 (d) 40 units of A and 0 units of B.
Assembling 2 2 500 9. CPA Exam Johnson, Inc., manufactures product X and
Finishing 2 3 600 product Y, which are processed as follows:

Other restrictions follow: Machine A Machine B

X  50 Y  50 Product X 6 hours 4 hours

The objective function is to maximize profits where prof- Product Y 9 hours 5 hours
it  $4X  $2Y. Given the objective and constraints,
what is the most profitable number of units of X and Y,
respectively, to manufacture? The contribution margin is $12 for product X and $7 for
product Y. The available time daily for processing the two
(a) 150 and 100 (b) 165 and 90 products is 120 hours for machine A and 80 hours for
(c) 170 and 80 (d) 200 and 50 machine B. How would the restriction (constraint) for
machine B be expressed?
7. CPA Exam Milford Company manufactures two models,
medium and large. The contribution margin expected is (a) 4X  5Y (b) 4X  5Y  80
$12 for the medium model and $20 for the large model. (c) 6X  9Y  120 (d) 12X  7Y
The medium model is processed 2 hours in the machin- 10. CPA Exam A small company makes only two products,
ing department and 4 hours in the polishing department. with the following two production constraints represent-
The large model is processed 3 hours in the machining ing two machines and their maximum availability:
department and 6 hours in the polishing department.
How would the formula for determining the maximiza- 2X  3Y  18
tion of total contribution margin be expressed? 2X  Y  10

(a) 5X  10Y (b) 6X  9Y where X  Units of the first product

(c) 12X  20Y (d) 12X(2  4)  20Y(3  6) Y  Units of the second product

8. CPA Exam Hale Company manufactures products A and

If the profit equation is Z  $4X  $2Y, the maximum
B, each of which requires two processes, polishing and possible profit is
grinding. The contribution margin is $3 for product A and (a) $20 (b) $21 (c) $18 (d) $24
$4 for product B. The illustration shows the maximum (e) Some profit other than those given above
 Chapter Project 193

Questions 11– 13 are based on the Jarten Company, which manufactures and sells two prod-
ucts. Demand for the two products has grown to such a level that Jarten can no longer meet the
demand with its facilities. The company can work a total of 600,000 direct labor-hours annual-
ly using three shifts. A total of 200,000 hours of machine time is available annually. The com-
pany plans to use linear programming to determine a production schedule that will maximize
its net return.
The company spends $2,000,000 in advertising and promotion and incurs $1,000,000 for
general and administrative costs. The unit sale price for model A is $27.50; model B sells for
$75.00 each. The unit manufacturing requirements and unit cost data are as shown below.
Overhead is assigned on a machine-hour (MH) basis.

Model A Model B

Raw material $3 $ 7
Direct labor 1 DLH @ $8 8 1.5 DLH @ $8 12
Variable overhead 0.5 MH @ $12 6 2.0 MH @ $12 24
Fixed overhead 0.5 MH @ $4 2 2.0 MH @ $4 8
$19 $ 51

11. CMA Exam The objective function that would maximize (c) 0.5A  2B  200,000
Jarten’s net income is (d) (0.5  0.5)A  (2  2)B  200,000
(e) (0.5 1)  (1.5 2.00)  (200,000 600,000)
(a) 10.50A  32.00B (b) 8.50A  24.00B
(c) 27.50A  75.00B (d) 19.00A  51.00B
14. CPA Exam Boaz Company manufactures two models,
(e) 17.00A  43.00B
medium (X) and large (Y). The contribution margin
12. CMA Exam The constraint function for the direct labor expected is $24 for the medium model and $40 for the
is large model. The medium model is processed 2 hours in
the machining department and 4 hours in the polishing
(a) 1A  1.5B  200,000 (b) 8A  12B  600,000
department. The large model is processed 3 hours in
(c) 8A  12B  200,000 (d) 1A  1.5B  4,800,000
the machining department and 6 hours in the polishing
(e) 1A  1.5B  600,000
department. If total contribution margin is to be maxi-
13. CMA Exam The constraint function for the machine mized, using linear programming, how would the objec-
capacity is tive function be expressed?

(a) 6A  24B  200,000 (a) 24X(2  4)  40Y(3  6) (b) 24X  40Y

(b) (1/0.5)A  (1.5/2.0)B  800,000 (c) 6X  9Y (d) 5X  10Y