CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL, INDUSTRIAL and AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

INDU 6121: Applied Optimization (Credits: 4.0)
Fall 2021
Instructor: Dr. Hossein Hashemi Doulabi Classes: Wednesday 14:45-17:30
Instructor’s Email: Concordia.INDU6121@gmail.com
Format of course delivery: Pre-recorded presentation
videos on Moodle + Online Zoom meetings during class
hours to answer students’ questions. Please read
Section 1 for details.

1- Format of course delivery and exams

All students are expected to have access to a computer with following capabilities:
• reliable internet connection
• camera and microphone (your computer and/or cellphone)
• document scanning application such as Adobe Scan app
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.scan.android&hl=en_CA)
• You will also need to be able to merge several image/pdf files into a single pdf file. This is required for the
midterm for final exams.
Format of course delivery: One week before the start of each weekly class, I will post the pre-recorded
presentation videos. The students will have one week to watch these videos at their convenience time. Then,
during the class time (Wednesday 14:45-17:30), we will have an online Zoom meeting to answer your questions
about the course materials presented by pre-recorded videos. You are supposed to have watched my presentation
videos before attending the office hours so that you do not ask for the explanation of everything from the scratch.
Attending the Zoom meeting are optional. I will share the links of Zoom meetings on moodle at least one day
before the class.

Format of Exams: Midterm and final exams will be timed-take homes. It means that the question sheet will be
available at a pre-specified time on the exam date on Moodle. Then the students will have around 2 hours and 30
minutes to write their answers by hands (not typing) on A4 papers. They will have 15 minutes to scan and upload
their answers. Delay in uploading the answers results in penalties; The exact duration of the exams, the available
time for uploading the answers, and the penalties corresponding to late submission of the answers will be
provided later on the instruction page of the exam. I keep the right to change the format of the exams and make
them in-person exams. Moreover, I reserve the right to conduct an individual oral examination to verify student’s
response to exam questions.

Dates of exams: The midterm exam will be held on October 23rd, 2021 from 9:00 am to around 12:00 pm.
However, this date is subject to change. I will announce the date of the exam at least one week in advance. If
you do not hear from me one week in advance, it means that the exams will be held at the above-mentioned
dates. Please do not make any schedule to be absent on class dates based on the given schedule as it may
coincide with the exam dates. Regarding the final exam, as soon as the university schedules the exam’s date
and I become aware of it, I will update you.
2- A Short Description:
As industrial engineers, we have to make critical strategic, tactical, and operational decisions, which hopefully
result in the companies’ productivity and profitability. We can make some of these decisions very easily based on
our inherent judgement. However, there are some other decisions that are very complicated and require deep
knowledge of mathematics. Usually these decisions result in big financial savings for companies and improve their
efficiencies if made correctly. Operations Research (OR) is the name of the field in industrial engineering that helps
us making better decisions. This course will specifically focus on mathematical programming that is one of the
most important OR tools.
3- Course Description by Keywords:
Linear and mixed integer programming models, lotsizing, assignment, p-median, capacitated facility location, bin
packing, extensible bin packing, knapsack, set covering, set-partitioning, maximal covering, cutting stock, shortest
path, maximum flow, minimum cost flow, multi-commodity flow, network design, travelling salesman, multiple
traveling salesman, vehicle routing problem, three-layer supply chain, closed-loop supply chain, five-layer supply
chain.
4- Learning Objectives:
1- To formulate decision-making problems as mathematical programming models.
2- To use appropriate solvers to solve them.

5- Prerequisite:
Basic knowledge on linear algebra and elementary calculus. The course should be of interest to MEng
students in Industrial Engineering.
You should not take this course if:
• You do not know how to extract ∑10
𝑖𝑖=1 𝑥𝑥𝑖𝑖
 • You do not know how to extract ∑10 10
𝑖𝑖=1 ∑𝑗𝑗=1 𝑥𝑥𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖

• You do not know how to extract ∑𝑖𝑖∈𝐼𝐼 𝑥𝑥𝑖𝑖 when set 𝐼𝐼 is given as 𝐼𝐼 = {1, … ,10}
• You do not know how to extract ∑𝑖𝑖∈𝐼𝐼 ∑𝑗𝑗∈𝐽𝐽 𝑥𝑥𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 when sets 𝐼𝐼 and 𝐽𝐽 are given as 𝐼𝐼 = {1, … ,10} and
𝐽𝐽 = {1, … ,5}

6- Office hours
The office hours with me are basically the same as the class hours. Each week, if required, I will stay online in the
Zoom meetings more than the class hours to answer all your questions for the course materials given by videos.

In addition, the TA will be available during extra office hours on Zoom and will answer your questions. These office
hours on Zoom are open to all students, but the presence of students is not mandatory. You are supposed to have
watched my presentation videos before attending the office hours so that you do not ask the TA to explain
everything from the scratch.

I will share the Zoom link either through announcement in Moodle or will send an email to the whole class, a
couple days before the Zoom meeting.

7- The main text book:

 [1] Model Building in Mathematical Programming, by H.P. Williams, Wiley, 5th Edition, 2013.
(I recommend this book for self-studying at home to learn how to model)

 [2] Operations Research: Applications and Algorithms, by W.L. Winston, 4th Edition, Brooks/Cole, 2004.
(I recommend this book for modeling questions at the end of some chapters)

 [3] Introduction to Operations Research, by F.S. Hillier and G.J. Lieberman, 10th Edition, McGraw-Hill,
2015.
(I recommend this book for modeling questions at the end of some chapters)

It is strongly recommended to consider the instructor’s slides as the main reference for this course. As the material
is cumulative, keep up with the content covered in the weekly lectures.

8- Lecture Schedules

Week* Lecture Topics* Reference

1 Introduction + Case Studies Slides
2 − An elementary example Slides
− chair production company
− Factory planning
− Coal Blending
 − Diet Problem
− General Blending
− Production planning with setup cost (lotsizing)
− Transportation problem
3 − P-median problem Slides
− Capacitated Facility Location Problem
− Bin Packing Problem
− Extensible Bin Packing Problem
4 − Blending with Different Final Products Slides
− Knapsack Problem
− Multi‐Dimensional Knapsack Problem
− Multiple Knapsack Problem
− Set Covering Problem
5 − Set Partitioning Problem Slides
− Set Packing Problem
− Budgeted maximum coverage problem
6 − Cutting Stock Problem Slides
− Shortest Path Problem
− Maximum Flow Problem
− Minimum Cost Flow Problem
− Multicommodity Flow Problem
− Network Design Problem
7 − Midterm exam Slides
8 − CPLEX (software) – part 1 Slides
9 − CPLEX (software) – part 2 Slides
10 − Traveling salesman problem Slides
− Multiple traveling salesman problem
− Vehicle routing problem (Models 1-2)
11 − Vehicle routing problem (Model 3) Slides
− Lotsizing (alternative formulation)
12 − A Three‐Layer Supply Chain Slides
− Closed‐loop supply chain problem
− Five-Layer Supply Chain
13 − Presentation of projects Slides

9- Grading:
Professionalism* 5%
Midterm Exam 45%
Final Exam 50%
Optional Final Project (Bonus) 10%

* Means respecting the professionalism code mentioned in Section 11 of this course outline.
This grading scheme is subject to change by the instructor; The instructor may take additional midterm exams if
distribution of students’ grades in the first midterm does not look “reasonable”, that means the standard
45%
deviation of midterm grades is less than 6. In this case, the weight of each midterm exam will be , where 𝑛𝑛 is
𝑛𝑛

the number of midterm exams.

Note: There is no direct mapping between numerical grades and letter grades.
Failing threshold for midterm: 50% of the midterm exam
Failing threshold for final: 45% of the final exam

10- Deadlines for withdrawal

Deadline for withdrawal with refund (DNE): September 20th, 2021.
Deadline for academic withdrawal without refund (DISC): November 8th, 2021.
Note: Please verify the dates and the details for withdrawal with Office of the Registrar.

11- Professionalism code:

1- Before sending an email to Concordia.INDU6121@gmail.com or asking any question, please check
whether I have answered your question in Section 12 of the course outline (will explain later). I receive
tones of emails every week from over 180 students registered in my classes. If I receive 5 emails from each
of you during the semester, it will be 7.5 email per day on average that is too much considering other
emails I receive from other sources. So, please check Section 12 before sending an email. I do not respond
to two types of questions by email:
a. Questions that are answered in the course outline (Section 12) and the announcements that I
send on moodle.
b. Scientific questions about the course materials. For these questions, please ask your questions
during the office hours.
You are very welcome to ask other questions that I have not answered in this course outline. Also, if you
have a question to ask, please contact Concordia.INDU6121@gmail.com not my other academic emails. I
do not respond to emails that I receive in my other email addresses.

2- A Deadline is a DEADLINE ( ) . If you pass a deadline for submitting the reports for the final project, there

is no chance to submit it later. Please do not send email me the deliverables. They must be submitted on
moodle.
 3- Students should be aware of the University and become familiar with the University’s Code of Conduct
located at: http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity/code.html. There will be a zero
tolerance policy pertaining to violations of this code. In the event of an offense, an Incident Report will be
completed and submitted to the Dean.
4- Do not copy, paraphrase or translate anything from anywhere without sating from where you obtained
it! (http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity/plagiarism.html) Plagiarism may be punished
by failure of the exam, or the course, and may lead to expulsion from University.

12- Frequently Asked Questions

Questions related to office/class hours:

1- Question: Is it possible to have extra office hours?

As I mentioned in Section 6, class hours are basically office hours where you can ask your questions. If
required, I will stay online more to answer your question. In addition to the office/class hours with me, I
will also post 1 hour every week for office hours with the TA.
2- Question: I am not available during the class hours. Would it be possible for you to change the class hours?
Unfortunately, it is not possible.
3- Question: I tried to join the Zoom meeting at the middle of the class time, but the system did not let me
in as if there is no Zoom meeting. What was the problem?
I will open the Zoom meeting a couple of minutes before the start of the class. I will answer the questions
of students until no one has any question. Whenever there is no other question, we will finish the Zoom
meeting. Therefore, if you want to make sure that you will get the opportunity to ask your question, you
should be on time for the class.

Questions related to midterm exam, and quizzes:

4- Question: I am not available on the date of the midterm exam that you mentioned earlier in the course
outline. Could you please change it?
Sorry, no. I cannot take the preferences of around 100 students that registered in this class.
5- Question: I have received my grade for the midterm exam. The marker has clearly made some mistakes
in correcting my answer (or in summing up my grades). Would you please fix it for me?
Please send an email to Concordia.INDU6121@gmail.com and explain your problem. At the end of the
semester, I will check your point and fix the correction if it is required.
6- Question: I did very bad in the midterm exam. If I get a better grade in the final exam, would it be possible
for you to change the weights of midterm and final exams such that I get a better grade?
I am sorry that you did not do well in the midterm exam. It will not be fair to your classmates for change
the grade distribution. The evaluation scheme mentioned in Section 9 will remain as is, unless due the
abnormal distribution of midterm grades, I decide to take additional midterm exams. What I can tell you,
the data from students registered in my class last year, shows that if someone with 50% in the midterm
had got 100% in the final exam and final project, his/her final grade would be A-. So, do not get
disappointed and study hard for final exam and the final project!
7- Question: I got a very bad grade in the midterm exam that is less than the failing thresholds mentioned in
Section 9. What happens now? What should I do? Is there anyway to make it up? It is my final semester,
please help me.
I am sorry but the only option is to drop the course. I cannot do anything for you.
8- Question: When and where is the midterm exam?
The tentative date is October 23rd, 2021 from 9:00 am to 12:00pm. I will announce the time of the exam
a week before the exam. If you do not hear from me, then the exam will be held as mentioned above.
9- Question: Which topics are included in the midterm exam? Up to which week?
All course materials except the ones presented in the last week before the midterm exam. So, for example
if the midterm exam is on Week 7, the midterm exam covers lectures 1 to 5 (not 6). By the way, we do
not have any lecture on the week of the midterm exam.
10- Question: Can we have any sample midterm exam?
Yes! I have already shared it under the week of the midterm exam on moodle.
11- (After the midterm exam) … Can we have the correct answers for the midterm exam?
If I have it, you will see this file under the week of the midterm exam on moodle. If not, then the file is not
available.

Questions related to the final project:

12- Question: When are the deadlines to submit documents for the bonus project?
Deadline for submission of a 2-page proposal (pdf format) (in moodle): October 29th, 2021
Deadline for submission of a progress report (pdf format) (in moodle): November 12th, 2021
Deadline for submission of the presentation slides and the final project report (pdf format) (in moodle):
December 10th, 2021.
Deadline for Submission of presentation video of projects: December 10th, 2021
13- Question: Is the final project obligatory?
No! It is an optional project. It is not obligatory.
14- Question: For the bonus project, how many team members can we have in each team?
It is a personal project! If you want to do this bonus project, you must do it on your own. No team member
is allowed.
15- Question: I have submitted a proposal for the optional project but have changed my mind do not to
continue. What should I do?
It is very simple. Just do not submit any final report for the project.
16- Do you have any same project to share with us?
Yes! I have already shared it on moodle under the same week that is the deadline of the 2-page proposal
for the project.

Miscellaneous Questions:

17- Question: I am interested in switching from MEng to MASc? I checked your webpage and really liked your
research area. Would you please tell if you could accept to be my supervisor?
Thanks a lot for your interest. Sometimes, I have positions in my team, sometime I do not. In any case,
what I do is that I usually wait until the midterm or even later to see the performance of the students. If I
see anyone performing extraordinarily well, I will contact him/her to set up a meeting and discuss the
possibility of collaboration. If you do not hear from me, means that either I do not have any position or I
have offered the position(s) to others. Please do not feel disappointed. There are always alternatives ways
to succeed.
18- Question: Do you suggest any extra text book for preparing for the midterm/final exam?
The best reference is my slides. Study them at least 3 times and understand all details before moving to
another reference. Then, I suggest you study sample questions that I have submitted on moodle. Then,
review my slides and the sample questions again. If there is any remaining time I would suggest to study
the text book.
19- Question: When/Where are you going to share the link for the online class?
I will share the link on moodle at least one day before the class.
20- Question: Would you please share all recorded videos of the lectures in advance?
No! I do not do that, because it is overwhelming for many of students and many of you will get lost during
the semester. I prefer to post the videos every week.
 21- Question: Would you please tell me which chapters of the text books do I need to study for this course?
I gathered the course materials from many different chapters of different books. I do have any specific
chapter number of a specific text book in my mind.
22- Question: Do you have some sample questions to prepare us for the midterm/final exam?
Yes! I have already posted them in moodle under Week 5.
23- Question: For the midterm exam, you uploaded 50 sample questions. Do you have more sample
questions?
No, I do not. I have already uploaded all sample questions that I have on moodle.

13- Disclaimer
In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content and/or evaluation
scheme in this course is subject to change.
 INDU6121 – Applied Optimization (Credits: 4.0)
Fall 2021
FINAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION
1. The project is NOT obligatory! It is an optional bonus project.
2. If you want to do this project, you must do it alone. Team working is not allowed in this project.
3. You should identify a practical or a research optimization problem that can be either formulated
by mathematical programming appropriately.
4. Reports should be prepared in 15 to 20 pages. The recommended structure for project reports
are as:
a. Abstract
b. Problem definition and assumptions
c. Literature review (more descriptive for research projects and shorter for practical
projects)
d. Data collection (only for practical projects)
e. Modeling
f. Solution approach
g. Computational results and analysis
h. Conclusions
5. Timeline:
a. October 29th, 2021: Submit a 2-page proposal with project title and your name (pdf
format).
b. November 12th, 2021: Submit a 2 to 5-page progress report (pdf format).
c. December 10th, 2021: Submit the final project report (pdf format) and presentation slides
(pdf format).
d. December 10th, 2021: Submit the presentation video of projects. To do this, you need to
submit a link of google drive in a pdf file.
6. Presentation:
a. You need to record a 15-minute video.