Ray:
Linear Programming or just "LP" is a powerful tool using systems of linear
equations (matrices and vectors) and various algorithms such as the simplex
algorithm for solving optimization problems. There is an objective function
consisting of various decision variables which are subject to certain
constraints which is solved for to determine a maximum (usually revenue or
profit) or minimum (usually costs) or a combination or balance of both. It
can be a very powerful tool to help optimize a business but the hardest part
is determining and/or obtaining accurate costs and numbers to plug into the
model, otherwise if you put garbage in, you'll just get garbage out!
Sometimes just gathering the cost information and all the numbers needed to
solve a model is enough to really open your eyes!
LP allows a business to perform many different simulations using different
costs to determine what the outcome of a certain financial decision might
be. There are several software packages out there for LP modeling, LINDO
and LINGO are 2 of them.
Hope this helps,
Glenn Whiteside
-----Original Message-----
From: Ray Brandes <rbrandes@ingeniusatg.com>
To: Ola L.A. Harrysson <olh35495@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>
Cc: rp-list <rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi>
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 1999 8:27 AM
Subject: Re: Need suggestions!
PMJI, but what is Linear Programming? - Ray
"Ola L.A. Harrysson" wrote:
Dear list, My name is Ola Harrysson and I am a Ph.D. student at the
University of Central Florida. I am doing my research in medical
applications of rapid prototyping and I have been using stereolithography
for a couple of years now. I am currently taking a class in Linear
Programming and we have to do an individual term project as part of the
class. I would like to do something about rapid prototyping but I haven't
been able to come up with a good topic. We are suppose to optimize something
using Linear Programming, so if any of you have an idea that would work,
please let me know. If I get any good results out of it, I will post it on
the list when I am done. Sincerely,Ola
Harrysson ----------------------------------------------------------
Ola HarryssonPh.D Student at UCF IEOrlando, Florida, USA
Work: (407) 823-6406
----------------------------------------------------------
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