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Introduction to Management Science

Quantitative Approach 15th Edition


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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
True / False

1. It is normal for activities on the critical path to be delayed without delaying the entire project.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

2. PERT and CPM are applicable only when there is no dependence among activities.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

3. A path through a project network must reach every node.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

4. A critical activity can be part of a noncritical path.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

5. When activity times are uncertain, an activity's most likely time is the same as its expected time.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

6. The final activity's earliest finish time is the anticipated project duration.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

7. The length of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project completion time is the slack.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

8. When activity times are uncertain, total project time is normally distributed by considering the overall mean being
equal to the sum of the means of all of the critical activities.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

9. Crashing refers to an unanticipated delay in a critical path activity that causes the total time to exceed its limit.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

10. Constraints in the LP models for crashing decisions are required to compare the activity's earliest finish time with the
earliest finish time of each predecessor.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

11. The project manager should monitor the progress of any activity with a large time variance even if the expected time
does not identify the activity as a critical activity.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

12. The variance in the project completion time is the sum of the variances of all activities in the project.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

13. The latest finish time for an activity is the largest of the latest start times for all activities that immediately follow the
activity.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

14. The earliest start time for an activity is equal to the smallest of the earliest finish times for all its immediate
predecessors.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

15. Shortening activity times, which is usually accomplished by adding resources to the project, is called crashing.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

16. A key distinction of the critical path is that all activities on the critical path have zero slack time.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

17. It is possible to have more than one critical path at a time.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

18. Precedence relationships among activities are critical in CPM analysis but not in PERT.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

19. The normal distribution tends to be a better approximation of the distribution of total time for shorter projects where
the critical path has relatively few activities.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

20. The earliest start time for an activity is equivalent to the latest of the earliest finish times for all its immediate
predecessors.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

Multiple Choice

21. PERT and CPM


a. are most valuable when a small number of activities must be scheduled.
b. have different features and are not applied to the same situation.
c. do not require a chronological relationship among activities.
d. have been combined to develop a procedure that uses the best of each.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

22. Which of the following is NOT a significant challenge of project scheduling?


a. Deadlines exist.
b. Activities are independent.
c. Many employees could be required.
d. Delays are costly.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

23. Arcs in a project network indicate


a. completion times.
b. precedence relationships.
c. activities.
d. the critical path.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

24. We identify the critical path of a project as


a. any path that goes from the starting node to the completion node.
b. the combined time of all paths of the project.
c. the shortest path through the project.
d. the longest path through the project.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

25. The earliest start time rule


a. compares the starting times of all activities for successors of an activity.
b. compares the finish times for all immediate predecessors of an activity.
c. determines when the project can begin.
d. determines when the project must begin.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

26. Activities following a node


a. can begin as soon as any activity preceding the node has been completed.
b. have an earliest start time equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all activities entering the node.
c. have a latest start time equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all activities entering the node.
d. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

27. Activities G, P, and R are the immediate predecessors for activity W. If the earliest finish times for the three are 12,
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
15, and 10, then the earliest start time for W
a. is 10.
b. is 12.
c. is 15.
d. cannot be determined.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Apply

28. Activities K, M, and S immediately follow activity H, and their latest start times are 14, 18, and 11. The latest finish
time for activity H
a. is 11.
b. is 14.
c. is 18.
d. cannot be determined.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Apply

29. When activity times are uncertain,


a. we assume they are normally distributed.
b. we start by calculating the optimistic, the most probable, and the pessimistic time estimates.
c. we use the most probable time.
d. we need to obtain at least four time estimates for each activity.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

30. To determine how to crash activity times,


a. normal activity costs and costs under maximum crashing must be known.
b. shortest times with crashing must be known.
c. realize that new paths may become critical.

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
d. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

31. Slack equals


a. LF – EF.
b. EF – LF.
c. EF – LS.
d. LF – ES.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

32. Activities with zero slack


a. can be delayed.
b. must be completed first.
c. lie on a critical path.
d. have no predecessors.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

33. In deciding which activities to crash, one must crash


a. all critical activities.
b. largest-duration activities.
c. lowest-cost activities.
d. activities on the critical path(s) only.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

34. For an activity with more than one immediate predecessor activity, which of the following is used to compute its
earliest finish (EF) time?
a. the largest EF among the immediate predecessors
b. the average EF among the immediate predecessors
c. the largest LF among the immediate predecessors
d. the difference in EF among the immediate predecessors
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

35. Which of the following is always true about a critical activity?


a. LS = EF
b. LF = LS
c. ES = LS
d. EF = ES
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

36. For an activity with more than one immediate successor activity, its latest finish time is equal to the
a. largest latest finish time among its immediate successors.
b. smallest latest finish time among its immediate successors.
c. largest latest start time among its immediate successors.
d. smallest latest start time among its immediate successors.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
37. Which of the following is a general rule for crashing activities?
a. Crash only noncritical activities.
b. Crash activities with zero slack.
c. Crash activities with the greatest number of predecessors.
d. Crash the path with the fewest activities.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

38. To calculate an activity’s latest finish time, you should consider its
a. predecessors’ latest finish times.
b. predecessors’ latest start times.
c. successors’ earliest start times.
d. successors’ latest start times.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

39. A critical activity is


a. an activity that consumes no time but shows precedence between events.
b. a milestone accomplishment within the project.
c. an activity with zero slack.
d. the beginning of an event.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

40. The main difference between CPM and PERT is


a. CPM and PERT use different activity time estimates.
b. PERT analysis is less expensive to conduct.
c. PERT lends itself to computerization while CPM networks must be constructed manually.
d. CPM integrates time and cost performance while PERT is based solely on time performance.
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Understand

41. In PERT, the activity duration time is equal to the


a. pessimistic time.
b. optimistic time.
c. most likely time.
d. mean duration.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Reflective Thinking
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Remember

Subjective Short Answer

42. From this schedule of activities, draw the PERT/CPM network.


Immediate
Activity Predecessor
A —
B A
C B
D B
E A
F C, D
G E, F

ANSWER:

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

43. From this PERT/CPM network, create a list of activities and their predecessors.

ANSWER:
Immediate
Activity Predecessor
A —
B —
C A
D A, B
E C, D
F D
G E
H F, G
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

44. A cookie recipe gives the following numbered steps.


1. Preheat oven.
2. Grease cookie sheets.
3. Cream shortening and sugar.
4. Add eggs and flavoring.
5. Measure and sift dry ingredients.
6. Add dry ingredients to mixture.
7. Drop by spoonfuls onto sheets and bake for 10 minutes.
Although the steps are numbered, they do not always reflect immediate precedence relationships. Develop a table that lists
the immediate predecessors for each activity.
ANSWER:
Immediate
Activity Predecessor
1 —
2 —
3 —
4 3
5 —
6 4, 5
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
7 1, 2, 6
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Analyze

45. A senior MIS design class project team has developed the following schedule of activities for their project, using their
best estimate of completion times. Both written and oral reports are required. Draw the project network. Can they
complete the project in the 38 class days remaining until the end of the semester?
Activity Time Immediate Predecessor
A. Find client. 4 —
B. Write prospectus. 2 A
C. Obtain approval from client and professor. 3 B
D. Complete programming. 12 C
E. Do industry background research. 10 —
F. Write final paper. 6 D, E
G. Write oral report. 5 D, E

ANSWER:

Yes, they can complete it in time. The critical path is A-B-C-D-F.


POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

46. A project network is shown below. Use a forward and a backward pass to determine the critical path, and then fill out
the table below. Activity times are in weeks.

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

Precedence Activity Critical


Activity ES LS EF LF Slack
Activities Time (weeks) Path?
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I

Now assume that the times listed are only the expected times instead of being fixed times. Is the probability of being
finished in fewer than 25 weeks more or less than 50%?

ANSWER:
Precedence Activity Critical
Activity ES LS EF LF Slack
Activities Time (weeks) Path?
A — 5 0 0 5 5 0 Yes
B — 4 0 1 4 5 1
C — 8 0 0 8 8 0 Yes
D A, B 4 5 5 9 9 0 Yes
E B, C 12 8 8 20 20 0 Yes
F D 10 9 9 19 19 0 Yes
G A, F 3 19 19 22 22 0 Yes
H E, F 2 20 20 22 22 0 Yes
I G, H 5 22 22 27 27 0 Yes

The probability is less than 50% because 25 weeks is less than the mean time of 27 weeks.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

47. A project network is shown below. Use a forward and a backward pass to determine the critical path, and then fill out
the table below. Activity times are in weeks.

Precedence Activity Critical


Activity Activities Time (weeks) ES LS EF LF Slack Path?
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I

Now assume that the times listed are only the expected times instead of being fixed times. Is the probability of being
finished in more than 28 weeks more or less than 50%?
ANSWER:
Precedence Activity Critical
Activity Activities Time (weeks) ES LS EF LF Slack Path?
A — 5 0 13 5 18 13
B — 4 0 14 4 18 14
C — 8 0 0 8 8 0 Yes
D A, B 4 5 18 9 22 13
E C 12 8 8 20 20 0 Yes
F C 10 8 10 18 20 2
G D, E 3 20 22 23 25 2
H E 2 20 23 22 25 3
I E, F 5 20 20 25 25 0 Yes
The probability is less than 50% because 28 weeks is more than the mean time of 25 weeks.

POINTS: 1
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

48. Use the following network of related activities with their duration times (weeks) to complete a row for each activity
under the column headings below.

Immediate Activity Critical


Activity Predecessors Time (weeks) ES LS EF LF Slack Path?
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

ANSWER:
Precedence Activity Critical
Activity Activities Time (weeks) ES LS EF LF Slack Path?
A — 8 0 0 8 8 0 Yes
B — 2 0 1 2 3 1
C B 5 2 3 7 8 1
D A, C 3 8 8 11 11 0 Yes
E B 7 2 4 9 11 2
F B 5 2 7 8 13 5
G D, E 12 11 11 23 23 0 Yes
H F 10 8 13 18 23 5

CRITICAL PATH: A-D-G


PROJECT COMPLETION TIME = 23
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
© Cengage. Testing Powered by Cognero. Page 17
CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

49. Use the following network of related activities with their duration times (weeks) to complete a row for each activity
under the column headings below.

Immediate Activity Critical


Activity ES LS EF LF Slack
Predecessors Time (weeks) Path?
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J

ANSWER:
Precedence Activity Critical
Activity Activities Time (weeks) ES LS EF LF Slack Path?
A — 2 0 0 2 2 0 Yes
B A 4 2 5 6 9 3
C A 3 2 3 5 6 1
D A 7 2 2 9 9 0 Yes
E B 6 6 10 12 16 4
F B 5 6 9 11 14 3
G C 8 5 6 13 14 1
H D 5 9 9 14 14 0 Yes
I E 4 12 16 16 20 4
J F, G, H 6 14 14 20 20 0 Yes

CRITICAL PATH: A-D-H-J


PROJECT COMPLETION TIME = 20
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

50. Use the following network with activities and times estimated in days to answer questions a through c.

Most
Activity Optimistic Pessimistic
Probable
A 2 5 6
B 1 3 7
C 6 7 10
D 5 12 14
E 3 4 5
F 8 9 12
G 4 6 8
H 3 6 8
I 5 7 12
J 12 13 14
K 1 3 4
a. What are the critical path activities?
b. What is the expected time to complete the project?
c. What is the probability the project will take more than 28 days to complete?

ANSWER:
a. and b.
Activity Expected Time Variance
A 4.67 0.44
B 3.33 1.00
C 7.33 0.44
D 11.17 2.25
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
E 4.00 0.11
F 9.33 0.44
G 6.00 0.44
H 5.83 0.69
I 7.50 1.36
J 13.00 0.11
K 2.83 0.25

Precedence Time Critical


Activity Activities ES LS EF LF Slack Path?
(days)
A — 4.67 0.00 4.67 4.67 9.33 4.67
B — 3.33 0.00 6.00 3.33 9.33 6.00
C — 7.33 0.00 0.00 7.33 7.33 0.00 Yes
D A 11.17 4.67 14.67 8.67 18.67 10.33
E A 4.00 4.67 14.67 8.67 18.67 10.00
F A, B 9.33 4.67 9.33 14.00 18.67 4.67
G C 6.00 7.33 12.67 13.33 18.67 5.33
H C 5.83 7.33 7.33 13.17 13.17 0.00 Yes
I E, F, G 7.50 14.00 18.67 21.50 26.17 4.67
J H 13.00 13.17 13.17 26.17 26.17 0.00 Yes
K D, J 2.83 26.17 26.17 29.00 29.00 0.00 Yes

CRITICAL PATH: C-H-J-K


EXPECTED PROJECT COMPLETION TIME = 29
VARIANCE OF PROJECT COMPLETION TIME
= 1.5
The probability that the project will take more than
c.
28 days is
P(z > (28 − 29)/1.22) = P(z > −0.82) = 0.7939.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

51. The critical path for this network is A - E - F, and the project completion time is 22 weeks.

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

Normal Crash Normal Crash


Activity
Time Time Cost Cost
A 12 8 8,000 12,000
B 14 10 5,000 7,500
C 8 8 10,000 10,000
D 5 3 6,000 8,000
E 4 3 5,000 7,000
F 6 5 9,000 12,000
G 10 8 5,000 8,000
If a deadline of 17 weeks is imposed, give the linear programming model for the crashing decision.
ANSWER: Let Ei = earliest finish time for activity i
Ci = amount to crash activity i

Min 1000CA + 625CB + 1000CD + 2000CE + 3000CF + 1500CG


s.t. EA ≥ 0 + 12 − CA
EB ≥ 0 + 14 − CB
EC ≥ 0 + 8 − CC
ED ≥ EA + 5 − CD
EE ≥ EA + 4 − CE
EF ≥ EE + 6 − CF
EF ≥ EC + 6 − CF
EG ≥ EC + 10 − CG
EA ≤ 4
EB ≤ 4
ED ≤ 2
EE ≤ 1
EF ≤ 1
EG ≤ 2
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

52. For the project represented below, determine the earliest and latest start and finish times for each activity as well as the
expected overall completion time.

Activity Duration ES EF LS LF Slack


A 4
B 3
C 4
D 2
E 5
F 2
G 5
H 6

ANSWER: [Activity, ES, EF, LS, LF, Slack]


[A, 0, 4, 0, 4, 0]; [B, 4, 7, 4, 7, 0]; [C, 4, 8, 6, 10, 2]; [D, 7, 9, 8, 10, 1]; [E, 7, 12, 7, 12, 0]
[F, 9, 11, 10, 12, 1]; [G, 12, 17, 12, 17, 0]; [H, 9, 15, 11, 17, 2]
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

53. Consider the following PERT/CPM network with estimated times in weeks. The project is scheduled to begin on May
1.

The three-time estimate approach was used to calculate the expected times and the following table gives the variance for
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
each activity:
Activity Variance Activity Variance
A 1.1 E 0.3
B 0.5 F 0.6
C 1.2 G 0.6
D 0.8 H 1.0
a. Give the expected project completion date and the critical path.
b. By what date are you 99% sure the project will be completed?

ANSWER:
a. 16 weeks = August 21
b. About September 22 (20.66 weeks from May 1)
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

54. A project consists of five activities. Naturally, the paint mixing precedes the painting activities. Also, both ceiling
painting and floor sanding must be done prior to floor buffing.
Optimistic Most Probable Pessimistic
Activity Time (hr.) Time (hr.) Time (hr.)
Floor sanding 3 4 5
Floor buffing 1 2 3
Paint mixing 0.5 1 1.5
Wall painting 1 2 9
Ceiling painting 1 5.5 7
a. Construct the PERT/CPM network for this problem.
b. What is the expected completion time of this project?
c. What is the probability that the project can be completed within nine hours?

ANSWER:

a.

b. 8 hours
c. 0.8264

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

55. Consider a project that has been modeled as follows:


Activity Immediate Predecessors Duration (hr.)
A — 7
B — 10
C A 4
D A 30
E A 7
F B, C 12
G B, C 15
H E, F 11
I E, F 25
J E, F 6
K D, H 21
L G, J 25
a. Draw the PERT/CPM network for this project and determine the project's expected
completion time and its critical path.
b. Can activities E and G be performed simultaneously without delaying the minimum project
completion time?
c. Can one person perform A, G, and I without delaying the project?
d. By how much can activities G and L be delayed without delaying the entire project?
e. How much would the project be delayed if activity G was delayed by seven hours and
activity L was delayed by four hours? Explain.

ANSWER:

a.

Expected completion time = 58; Critical path = A - D - K


b. Yes
c. Yes
d. Slack on G = 7 hours; Slack on L = 4 hours
e. 4 hours; the slack times are not independent as G and L are on the same path.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.01 - 9.1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.1 Project Scheduling Based on Expected Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
56. Joe King has ambitions to be mayor of Williston, North Dakota. Joe has determined the breakdown of the steps to the
nomination and has estimated normal and crash costs and times for the campaign as follows (times are in weeks).
Normal Crash Immediate
Activity Time Cost Time Cost Predecessors
A. Solicit volunteers 6 $5,000 4 $ 9,000 —
B. Initial "free" exposure 3 4,000 3 4,000 —
C. Raise money 9 4,000 6 10,000 A
D. Organize schedule 4 1,000 2 2,000 A
E. Hire advertising firm 2 1,500 1 2,000 B
F. Arrange TV interview 3 4,000 1 8,000 B
G. Advertising campaign 5 7,000 4 12,000 C, E
H. Personal campaigning 7 8,000 5 20,000 D, F

Joe is not a wealthy man and would like to organize a 16-week campaign at minimum cost. Write and solve a linear
program to accomplish this task.

ANSWER: Let Xi = earliest finish time for activity i


Yi = amount of time activity i is crashed

Min 2000YA + 2000YC + 500YD + 500YE + 2000YF + 5000YG + 6000Y H

s.t. XA ≥ 0 + (6 − YA)
XB ≥ 0 + 3
XC ≥ XA + (9 − YC)
XD ≥ XA + (4 − YD)
XE ≥ XB + (2 − YE)
XF ≥ XB + (3 − YF)
XG ≤ 16
XG ≥ XC + (5 − YG)
XG ≥ XE + (5 − YG)
XH ≥ XD + (7 − YH)
XH ≥ XF + (7 − YH)
XH ≤ 16
YA ≤ 2
YC ≤ 3
YD ≤ 2
YE ≤ 1
YF≤2

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

YG ≤ 1
YH ≤ 2
Xi, Yj ≥ 0 for all i

Solution: XA = 4, XB = 6, XC = 11, XD = 9, XE = 11, XF = 9, XG = 16, XH = 16,


YA = 2, YC = 2, YD = 0, YE = 0, YF = 0, YG = 0, YH = 0, Total crash cost =
$8,000
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Create

57. Marcy Fetter, a staff analyst at the Los Angeles plant of Computer Products Corporation, is assigned to the team that
is developing the process design for producing an RFID sensor. The corporate planning group in San Jose, California, has
contacted her and asked how confident the design group is about completing the project in 60 days. She has developed the
following estimated time durations in days for the project:

Immediate Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic


Activity Predecessor
Activities Time (to) Time (tm) Time (tp)
A — 10 12 15
B A 6 10 14
C A 10 15 20
D A 9 9 18
E B 5 6 8
F C, E 10 12 13
G B 12 14 16
H B, D 18 21 24
I B, D 10 15 20
J F, G, H 8 10 14

a. Compute the expected time and variance for each activity.


b. Determine the critical path and expected duration of the project.
c. What is the probability that the project will take longer than 58 days to complete?
d. Which path in the project network offers the greatest risk of overrunning a new deadline of 56 days?

ANSWER:
a.
Activity
Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic Activity
Expected
Activity Time (to) Time (tm) Time (tp) Variance (Vt)
Time (te)
A 10 12 15 12.17 0.694
B 6 10 14 10.00 1.778
C 10 15 20 15.00 2.778
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

D 9 10 14 10.50 0.694
E 5 6 8 6.17 0.250
F 10 12 13 11.83 0.250
G 12 14 16 14.00 0.444
H 18 21 24 21.00 1.000
I 10 15 20 15.00 2.778
J 8 10 14 10.33 1.000

b.
Path Length of Path (days)
A-C-F-J 12.17 + 15 + 11.83 + 10.33 = 49.33
A-B-E-F-J 12.17+ 10 + 6.17 + 11.83 + 10.33 = 50.50
A-B-G-J 12.17 + 10 + 14 + 10.33 = 46.50
A-B-H-J 12.17 + 10 + 21 + 10.33 = 53.50
A-B-I 12.17 + 10 + 15 = 37.17
A-D-H-J 12.17 + 10.5 + 21 + 10.33 = 54.00
A-D-I 12.17 + 10.5 + 15 = 37.67

The critical path is A-D-H-J; its duration is 54 days.


c. For path A-D-H-J:
SVt = 0.694 + 0.694 + 1.000 + 1.000 = 3.388 days
z = (x – m)/st = (58 – 54)/1.84 = 2.17
P(D > 58) = 1 – 0.9850 = 0.0150 or about 1.5%
(There is a 98.5% chance of the project being completed within 58 days.)
d. The longest paths (the ones offering the greatest risk of exceeding 56 days) are A-B-E-F-
J, A-B-H-J, and A-D-H-J. The variances for these paths are:

Path Length of Path (days) Variance of Path (days)


A-C-F-J 49.33
A-B-E-F-J 50.50
A-B-G-J 46.50
A-B-H-J 53.50 0.694 + 1.778 + 1.0 + 1.0 = 4.472
A-B-I 37.17
A-D-H-J 54.00 0.694 + 0.694 + 1.0 + 1.0 = 3.388
A-D-I 37.67

Path A-B-H-J offers a risk roughly as great as path A-D-H-J.

Path A-B-H-J: z = (56 – 53.5) = 2.5/2.115 = 1.18


P(D > 56) = 0.1190 or about a 12% chance
Path A-D-H-J: z = (56 – 54.0) = 2.0/1.841 = 1.09
P(D > 56) = 0.1380 or about a 14% chance
Both paths need to be managed closely in order to complete the project in no more than 56
days.
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

58. A project has the following activities, precedence relationships, and time estimates in weeks:

Immediate Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic


Activity Predecessor
Activities Time (to) Time (tm) Time (tp)

A — 15 20 25
B — 8 10 12
C A 25 30 40
D B 15 15 15
E B 22 25 27
F E 15 20 22
G D 20 20 22

a. Compute the expected time and variance for each activity.


b. Determine the critical path and the expected duration of the project.
c. What is the probability that the project will take longer than 56 weeks to complete?
ANSWER:
a.
Activity Activity
Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic
Expected Variance
Activity Time (to) Time (tm) Time (tp)
Time (te) (Vt)
A 15 20 25 20 2.778
B 8 10 12 10 0.444
C 25 30 40 30.83 6.250
D 15 15 15 15 0
E 22 25 27 24.83 0.694
F 15 20 22 19.50 1.361
G 20 20 22 20.33 0.111

b.
Path Length of Path (weeks)
B-D-G 10 + 15 + 20.33 = 45.33
B-E-F 10 + 24.83 + 19.5 = 54.33*
A-C 20 + 30.83 = 50.83

c. SVt = 2.499 weeks; z = 1.06; P(D > 56) = 0.1446

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

59. Three paths of a PERT network have these mean durations and variances in weeks:

Mean
Path Duration Variance
1 45 2.75
2 44 5.50
3 46 1.20

Which path offers the greatest risk of overrunning a contract deadline of 48 weeks?
ANSWER:
Path 1: st = 1.658; z = 1.809; P(D > 48) = 3.5%
Path 2: st = 2.345; z = 1.706; P(D > 48) = 4.4%
Path 3: st = 1.095; z = 1.826; P(D > 48) = 3.4%
Path 2 offers the greatest risk (but only by a small margin).
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.02 - 9.2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.2 Project Scheduling Considering Uncertain Activity Times
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

60. A project has the following activities, durations, costs, and precedence relationships:

Accelerated Immediate
Present Duration Present Accelerated
Duration Predecessor
Activity (Weeks) Cost Cost
(Weeks) Activities
A 10 9 — $11,000 $15,000
B 15 13 — 20,000 25,000
C 10 6 A 9,000 20,000
D 20 18 A 25,000 30,000
E 15 10 C 20,000 35,000
F 17 15 B 20,000 30,000
G 12 10 B 15,000 25,000
H 9 8 D, F 12,000 18,000
I 7 6 G, H 10,000 15,000

Develop a time-cost trade-off analysis. Detail the steps that you would use to accelerate or crash the project to its
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
minimum duration at the lowest cost. Determine each step's cost and the duration of the project.

ANSWER:

Present Accelerated Crashing


Duration Duration Present Accelerated Cost
Activity (Weeks) (Weeks) Cost Cost per Week
A 10 9 $11,000 $15,000 $4,000
B 15 13 20,000 25,000 2,500
C 10 6 9,000 20,000 2,750
D 20 18 25,000 30,000 2,500
E 15 10 20,000 35,000 3,000
F 17 15 20,000 30,000 5,000
G 12 10 15,000 25,000 5,000
H 9 8 12,000 18,000 6,000
I 7 6 10,000 15,000 5,000

Length of Path
Path
(weeks)
10 + 10 + 15
A-C-E 35 35 35 35 35 35 35
=
A-D-H- 10 + 20 + 9
46 46 46 45 44 43 42
I +7=
15 + 17 + 9
B-F-H-I 48 47 46 45 44 43 42
+7=
15 + 12 + 7
B-G-I 34 33 32 31 31 31 31
=
Activity Crashed B B I H D, F D, F
Additional Cost for Crashing 2,500 2,500 5,000 6,000 7,500 7,500

Project is reduced from 48 to 42 weeks at an additional cost of $31,000.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

61. National Oil Company (NATOCO) must plan the shutdown of its Houston refinery for routine preventive
maintenance. Each hour of downtime is lost production time and is very costly, so NATOCO wants the maintenance
project completed in 22 hours. The PERT network below shows the precedence relationships of the activities involved in
the project. The table gives the activity times and costs under normal operations and maximum crashing.

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

NATOCO wants to know the minimum cost of completing the maintenance project within the 22-hour period. Formulate
and solve a linear program that will yield this information.
Activity Normal Normal Crash Crash
Time (hr.) Cost Time (hr.) Cost
A 2 $2,000 1.5 $3,000
B 4 3,000 3 3,500
C 1 1,500 1 1,500
D 4 5,300 2.5 8,000
E 6 5,400 5 7,000
F 10 6,000 8 9,000
G 8 4,800 5 9,900
H 2 2,800 1 2,900
I 5 4,500 4 5,000
J 12 6,000 6 9,600
K 7 7,000 4 9,700
L 11 8,800 9 9,200
M 4 1,000 1 7,000

ANSWER:
m = Normal time – Time under maximum crashing
k = (Cost under maximum crashing – Normal cost)/m
Activity m k
A 0.5 2000
B 1 500
C 0 0
D 1.5 1800
E 1 1600
F 2 1500
G 3 1700
H 1 100
I 1 500
J 6 600
K 3 900
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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM
L 2 200
M 3 2000
LP Formulation
Let xA= earliest finish time for activity A
yA = amount of time activity A is crashed

Min 2000yA + 500yB + 1800yD + 1600yE + 1500yF + 1700yG


+ 100yH + 500yI + 600yJ + 900yK + 200yL + 2000yM

Subject to:
(1) The project must be completed within 22 hours: xK < 22, xL < 22, xM < 22

(2) The amount an activity is crashed cannot exceed its maximum crashing:
yA < 0.5
yB < 1
yD < 1.5
yE < 1
yF < 2
yG < 3
yH < 1
yI < 1
yJ < 6
yK < 3
yL < 2
yM < 3
(3) For each activity:
Earliest finish time > Earliest finish time of preceding activity
+ (Normal activity time) − Amount of time the activity is crashed)

xA > 0 + (2 – yA) or xA + yA > 2


xB > 0 + (4 – yB) or xB + yB > 4
xC > 0 + (1 – 0) or xC > 1

xD > xA + (4 – yD) or xD + yD – xA > 4


xE > xB + (6 – yE) or xE + yE – xB > 6
xG > xB + (8 – yG) or xG + yG – xB > 8
xH > xB + (2 – yH) or xH + yH – xB > 2
xI > xC + (5 – yI) or xI + yI – xC > 5
xJ > xC + (12 – yJ) or xJ + yJ – xC > 12

xF > xD + (10 – yF) or xF + yF – xD > 10


xF > xE + (10 – yF) or xF + yF – xE > 10
xL > xG + (11 – yL) or xL + yL – xG > 11

xK > xF + (7 – yK) or xK + yK – xF > 7


xK > xI + (7 – yK) or xK + yK – xI > 7
xM > xH + (4 – yM) or xM + yM – xH > 4

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CH 09 - Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

xM > xJ + (4 – yM) or xM + yM – xJ > 4

(4) Nonnegativity of the variables:


xi > 0 for i = A, B, C, … , M
yj > 0 for j = A, B, D, … , M

Solution
OBJECTIVE FUNCTION VALUE = 4700.000
VARIABLE VALUE REDUCED COSTS
XA 5.000 0.000
XB 3.000 0.000
XC 1.000 0.000
XD 9.000 0.000
XE 9.000 0.000
XF 18.000 0.000
XG 11.000 0.000
XH 13.000 0.000
XI 18.000 0.000
XJ 13.000 0.000
XK 22.000 0.000
XL 22.000 0.000
XM 17.000 0.000
YA 0.000 2000.000
YB 1.000 0.000
YD 0.000 1800.000
YE 0.000 100.000
YF 1.000 0.000
YG 0.000 1500.000
YH 0.000 100.000
YI 0.000 500.000
YJ 0.000 600.000
YK 3.000 0.000
YL 0.000 0.000
YM 0.000 2000.000
Summary:
Crash activity B one hour, activity F one hour, and activity K three hours. The preventive
maintenance project will be completed in 22 hours at a crashing cost of $4700.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: IMS.ASWC.19.09.03 - 9.3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic
TOPICS: 9.3 Considering Time–Cost Trade-Offs
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Evaluate

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Title: Pompei e le sue rovine, Vol. 2 (of 3)

Author: Pier Ambrogio Curti

Release date: December 5, 2023 [eBook #72322]

Language: Italian

Original publication: Milano: Sanvito, 1872

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POMPEI E


LE SUE ROVINE, VOL. 2 (OF 3) ***
POMPEI
E LE SUE ROVINE
VOL. II
POMPEI
E LE
SUE ROVINE
PER L’AVVOCATO
PIER AMBROGIO CURTI
GIÀ DEPUTATO AL PARLAMENTO NAZIONALE
DIRETTORE DELLA SOCIETÀ ITALIANA DI ARCHEOLOGIA
E DI BELLE LETTERE DI MILANO

VOLUME SECONDO
1873
MILANO — F. SANVITO, EDITORE.
NAPOLI — DETKEN E ROCHOLL.
Proprietà letteraria.
Legge 25 Giugno 1865. Tip. Guglielmini.
INDICE
CAPITOLO XII.
I Teatri — Teatro Comico.

Passione degli antichi pel teatro — Cause — Istrioni —


Teatro Comico od Odeum di Pompei — Descrizione —
Cavea, præcinctiones, scalæ, vomitoria — Posti assegnati
alle varie classi — Orchestra — Podii o tribune — Scena,
proscenio, pulpitum — Il sipario — Chi tirasse il sipario —
Postscenium — Capacità dell’Odeum pompejano —
Echea o vasi sonori — Tessere d’ingresso al teatro —
Origine del nome piccionaja al luogo destinato alla plebe
— Se gli spettacoli fossero sempre gratuiti — Origine de’
teatri, teatri di legno, teatri di pietra — Il teatro Comico
latino — Origini — Sature e Atellane — Arlecchino e
Pulcinella — Rintone, Andronico ed Ennio — Plauto e
Terenzio — Giudizio contemporaneo dei poeti comici —
Diversi generi di commedia: togatæ, palliatæ, trabeatæ,
tunicatæ, tabernariæ — Le commedie di Plauto e di
Terenzio materiali di storia — Se in Pompei si recitassero
commedie greche — Mimi e Mimiambi — Le maschere,
origine e scopo — Introduzione in Roma — Pregiudizj
contro le persone da teatro — Leggi teatrali repressive —
Dimostrazioni politiche in teatro — Talia musa della
Commedia.

Gran parte della vita publica erano nell’orbe romano, massime al


tempo de’ Cesari, i Teatri.
Quando si consideri che solo in questa, elegante sì, ma piccola città
di Pompei vi fossero due teatri, il comico e il tragico ed un anfiteatro,
tutti di tanta capacità, si può avere una prova abbastanza
conveniente di questa asserzione, ed un’altra poi se ne avrà ancora
nel fatto che non si fosse paghi di uno spettacolo solo al giorno, ma
se ne volesse a tutte l’ore di esso, e s’egli è vero quel che taluni
pretesero e che io ho pur riferito, che i Pompejani fossero stati
sopraggiunti dal loro estremo disastro nell’anfiteatro, sappiamo allora
che dovesse essere circa l’ora meridiana.
Non fu detto però a torto che il popolo non vivesse che di pane e di
spettacoli, panem et circenses, e ognun s’avvede che qui sotto il
generico nome di giuochi del circo s’abbiano ad intendere ben anco
gli scenici ludi.
Una ragione più alta aveva contribuito a radicare profondamente
nell’animo di tutti la passione e nelle consuetudini generali la
frequenza de’ teatrali spettacoli, — la religione: — perocchè
rimontandosene alle origini si trovi, per testimonianza di Tito Livio,
che nella epidemia, onde fu Roma afflitta nel 390 di sua fondazione,
la collera celeste serbandosi inesorabile alle continue supplicazioni,
si fosse ricorso alle sceniche rappresentazioni, in cui attori erano
commedianti etruschi, detti nella loro lingua istrioni, i quali trattavano
artifiziosamente a suon di flauto e gestendo senza parole [1]. Fra i
Romani stessi sorsero subito dopo imitatori; i giuochi scenici
attecchirono e vennero per ciò considerati non come un semplice
passatempo soltanto, chè per tali non si ebbero che gli spettacoli del
circo, ma come una vera istituzione civile e sacerdotale.
Noi medesimi, se avessimo in oggi a restringere il teatro in que’
confini che lo fecero definire la morale in azione, e se la coscienza
degli scrittori non escisse dai limiti assegnati dai veri intenti dell’arte,
per libidine di facili e funesti plausi, non potremmo ricusarci
dall’averlo tuttavia per una vera istituzione civile.
Nel desiderio di abozzare alla meglio anche questa parte della vita
romana, di cui Pompei fornisce a noi ne’ suoi monumenti le più
ineccepibili prove, converrà che prima m’intrattenga del Teatro
Comico, detto altrimenti Odeum, nel quale poi c’intratterremo, giusta
i richiami, della sua storia, delle sue produzioni; poscia del Teatro
Tragico e della sua storia; riserbando all’ultimo il discorso intorno
all’Anfiteatro e a’ suoi ludi; quantunque a vero dire si dovrebbe
premettere di questi ultimi, se noi pure, come gli antichi, ritenessimo
che gli spettacoli scenici non siano che appendici meno importanti di
quelli del Circo.
Fin dal 13 maggio 1769 veniva scoperta sulla muraglia del Gran
Teatro, o Teatro Tragico che si voglia dire e del quale sarà
l’argomento nel capitolo venturo, la iscrizione seguente:
C . QVINCTVS C . F . VALG .
M . PORCIVS M . F .
DVO VIR . DEC . DECR .
THEATRVM TECTVM
FAC . LOCAR ; EIDEMQVE PROBARVNT [2].

Tale scoperta confermava la designazione, che fin dal 23 marzo


precedente era stata fatta, che quivi esister dovesse l’Odeo, o Teatro
Comico, avvalorata altresì da ciò che contiguo vi fosse il Teatro
Tragico, pur in questo avendo i Pompejani seguito la comune
consuetudine in congenere materia, e che noi troviamo consegnata
nelle seguenti parole del capo IX, libro V di Vitruvio: exeuntibus e
theatro sinistra parte Odeum [3].
L’Odeo, in greco Ωδεῖον, che in questo passo medesimo ci fa sapere
Vitruvio essere per la prima volta stato eretto in Atene, ornato da
Pericle di colonne, di pietre e coperto di alberi e antenne di navi,
spoglie riportate in guerra contro de’ Persiani, vogliono tutti che
fosse stato un piccolo teatro; ove si facessero le prove e le disfide
musicali, come derivatone l’appellativo dalla voce greca ωδή, che
significa canto.
In Pompei l’Odeum era destinato alla recitazione delle commedie, ai
concorsi poetici, alle rappresentazioni mimiche e satiriche, e se si
vuole argomentare dall’uso generale di tali ritrovi, alle dispute
filosofiche ed anche agli spettacoli d’inverno, e per ciò coperto;
onde, per dirla con Tertulliano, l’impudico divertimento non fosse dal
rigore della stagione turbato [4]. Il severo giudizio di questo padre
della Chiesa cristiana era giustificato dalla licenziosa libertà sempre
esistita nei ludi scenici e circensi, ma fatta ancor più sfrenata negli
ultimi tempi dell’Impero.
Dal 1793 al 1796 venne questo teatro sgombro dalle macerie,
messo nelle condizioni nelle quali trovasi di presente e in guisa da
prestarsi alla sua intera descrizione.
Esso è fabbricato, egualmente che il Teatro Tragico e il Foro, sopra
uno strato di lava vulcanica antichissima, che porge a questi edifizj il
più solido fondamento; ma la sua costruzione è di tufo di Nocera,
all’infuori delle scale che separavano le gradinate che son di
durissima lava. Sopra l’estremità del muro semicircolare, ossia sul
cornicione, ancor si veggono i luoghi ove stavano le colonne su cui il
tetto poggiava, il quale si apriva tra l’una e l’altra colonna uno spazio
vacuo, pel quale s’intromettevano la luce e l’aria. Tali colonne si
rinvennero rovesciate, onde anche per la certa quantità di tegole
numerizzate con carbone e là ordinatamente disposte, si argomentò
che rovinato il teatro dal tremuoto del 63, si ritrovasse poi nel 79 in
istato di restaurazione. Dyer crede rimonti la sua prima costruzione a
poco tempo dopo la Guerra Sociale, così forse ottant’anni avanti
Cristo.
Come di consueto, e come Vitruvio ne fa regola generale de’ teatri,
la forma della cavea è d’un emiciclo, e sotto il nome di cavea
designavasi quella porzione dell’interno di un teatro od anfiteatro,
che conteneva i sedili sui quali stavano gli spettatori, e che era
formata da un numero di ordini concentrici di gradini sopra più ordini
di arcate, quando essi non fossero praticati in qualche parte, od
addossati a montuosità di terreno. Secondo la dimensione
dell’edificio, questi giri di sedili erano divisi d’ordinario in uno, due o
tre scompartimenti, distinti, separati l’uno dall’altro da un muricciolo
detto præcinctio, abbastanza alto per impedire la comunicazione fra
essi; cosicchè i diversi scompartimenti assumevano i qualificativi di
prima, seconda, terza ed anche più spesso di ima, media e summa
cavea, cioè ordine inferiore, di mezzo e superiore. E così era
dell’Odeum pompejano.
Il pavimento per nove passi di diametro tocca l’uno e l’altro corno
dell’emiciclo terminato in due zampe di leone di tufo vulcanico.
Quindi incomincia la prima cavea in quattro ordini di gradini più
grandi e spaziosi degli altri, ove sedevano i magistrati ed ivi erano
collocati i bisellii e le sedie curuli. Indi seguono quattordici gradini in
cui l’ordine equestre aveva il suo posto: vi tengono poi dietro diciotto
altri ordini, ognun dei quali sempre più si va allargando nei lati per
formare il diametro dell’emiciclo e stretto pel contrario nell’orchestra,
della quale dirò fra poco.
Dopo i primi quattro gradini si vede un parapetto di separazione con
un ripiano, o gradino più largo. Si riconosce da ciò subito una delle
precinzioni, che i Greci chiamavano δίαζωματα, con cui, come dissi
testè, precingeva, o separava il primo dal secondo, ordine della
cavea, dove stava la gente più distinta.
V’era poscia una seconda precinzione, che separava la media, o
seconda cavea, dall’ultima, dove sedevano la plebe e le donne. I
gradini della media cavea, sono intersecati da sei piccole scale per
linea retta dall’alto al basso, chiamate viæ, itinera, scalæ e scalaria,
che hanno principio da sei vomitoria, o porte superiori corrispondenti
al corritojo coperto, donde arrivavasi alla prima precinzione. Da essi
entravano gli spettatori per prendere il rispettivo posto, e da essi, a
spettacolo ultimato, uscivano.
Quelle scalarie, intersecando i gradini circolari, costituivano cinque
cunei o scomparti, ciascun dei quali veniva poi assegnato a
determinata classe di spettatori; onde vi fosse quello de’ magistrati,
quello de’ mariti, quello de’ giovani pretestati, quello de’ conjugati, e
vie via degli efebi, oratori, legali, pedagoghi, soldati, che giammai si
confondevano colla plebe, e le altre distinzioni del popolo, le quali
venivano osservate, da che un decreto d’Augusto, secondo lasciò
ricordato Svetonio nella vita di questo Cesare, le avesse a
prescrivere, a ciò indotto dalle ingiurie che un senatore aveva
ricevuto nel teatro di Pozzuoli.
«Egli, Augusto, scrisse quello storico, rimediò alla confusione ed al
disordine estremi che regnavano negli spettacoli, mosso dall’ingiuria
ricevuta da un senatore, che nella occasione di celeberrimi ludi in
Pozzoli, che avevano attirato immenso concorso, non aveva trovato
posto, ordinando con un senato consulto, che in tutte le
rappresentazioni publiche il primo ordine spettasse a’ senatori. Vietò
ai deputati delle nazioni libere e alleate di sedere nell’orchestra,
perchè avesse sorpreso che molti fra di essi fossero del genere de’
liberti. Separò dal popolo il soldato. Assegnò posti particolari a’
mariti, speciali gradini a coloro che portavano ancor la pretesta,
collocandone i precettori appresso. Agli abbigliati in bruno
(pullatorum) interdisse il centro della cavea. Alle femmine, già
confuse cogli uomini, non concesse assistere che dal posto
superiore alle lotte de’ gladiatori. Destinò alle sole Vergini Vestali un
separato posto nel teatro di contro alla tribuna del pretore» [5].
Petronio nel suo Satyricon, ci ha lasciato alla sua volta memoria che
l’ordine più alto ne’ teatri fosse quello riserbato agli schiavi, alle
cortigiane ed all’infima plebe, in quel passo in cui Criside, l’ancella
della dissoluta Circe e mezzana de’ suoi amori, accostando Encolpo
e invitandolo da parte della sua padrona, alla maraviglia di costui
che schiavo di Eumolpione s’era infinto e mutato il nome in quello di
Polieno, così risponde: «Quanto al dirti schiavo ed abbietto, questo è
lo stesso che accendere il desiderio di colei che ti aspetta; perchè
hannovi alcune donne che dilettansi di sucidume, o non sentonsi
brulichio se non alla vista di schiavi, o di sergenti ben infiancati: ad
altre un mulattiere coperto di polvere, ad altre un attore che figura su
per le scene. Insigne fra queste è la padrona mia: ella sale
dall’orchestra al quattordicesimo ordine, e in mezzo all’ultima plebe
rintraccia chi più le piace» [6].
Eravi poi l’orchestra, che occupava, rispetto al rimanente
dell’edificio, un posto corrispondente alla platea de’ nostri teatri e
consisteva in uno spazio aperto, in piano, nel centro dell’edificio sul
fondo, circoscritto di dietro dalle più basse file de’ sedili degli
spettatori e dinanzi dal muricciuolo della scena. Il pavimento di
questa parte è di marmi greci disposti in varii quadrati, e nel mezzo
sopra una larga fascia di marmo cipollino, che ne occupa tutto il
diametro, si legge in grandi lettere di bronzo incastonata questa
iscrizione:
M . OCVLATIVS M . F . VERVS .
VIR PRO LVDIS [7].

Dalla quale iscrizione apprendiamo il nome d’uno de’ due


sovrintendenti dei giuochi o spettacoli in Marco Oculazio Vero.
Ai lati della scena ed al disotto de’ vomitorii o porte che mettevano
all’orchestra, sonvi due podii o tribune, a cui si giunge per quattro
gradini praticati di dietro. Il podium in un anfiteatro o circo o teatro,
era un basamento alto circa sei metri dal suolo dell’arena destinato
ad essere occupato dall’imperatore, da’ magistrati curuli e dalle
Vestali, che sedevano quivi sopra i loro seggi d’avorio. Svetonio e
Giovenale ne fanno menzione [8].
La scena poi, misurata da Bréton di 17.m 50, è assai bene
conservata, è formata di mattoni e di opera reticolata di tufo rivestita
di marmo bianco.
Il proscenium, o intero spazio del palco rialzato, chiuso fra il muro
permanente della scena di dietro e l’orchestra di fronte, e che con
moderno vocabolo diremmo palcoscenico, non appare così profondo
come ne’ moderni teatri; nel mezzo di esso, in sito più elevato,
sorgeva il pulpitum, o alta e lunga predella su cui gli attori stavano
quando recitavano i loro dialoghi, o discorsi.
Vitruvio, parlando dei pulpito, che i Greci appellano λογεῖον, avverte
essersi esso usato già ristretto in Grecia, meno altrove, e però colà i
tragici e comici recitavan sulla scena, gli altri attori tutti
nell’orchestra; onde hanno in greco diverso nome, gli uni di scenici,
gli altri di timelici [9], forse sonatori codesti ultimi, se decomponendo
la parola, troviamo che essa significhi sollevar l’animo annojato,
dove pur non derivi da Hymele, con che si designava l’inno di Bacco.
In questo primo senso avrei avuto ragione anch’io, se imitando
l’esempio greco, ebbi a chiamare orchestra il luogo che è destinato
nei nostri teatri a’ suonatori.
Davanti al pulpitum, scorgasi ancora nell’ammattonato, al posto che
ne’ moderni teatri serba la ribalta dei lumi, un incavo correre tutto
lungo la scena, nel quale stava il cilindro a cui s’avvolgeva l’Aulæa
od Aulæum, che era la tappezzeria o cortina, che faceva le veci
dell’odierno sipario, ornata di figure ricamate su di essa, il più spesso
rappresentanti storici fatti e paesane vittorie, come raccogliesi dal
seguente passo delle Metamorfosi d’Ovidio:

Sic ubi tolluntur festis aulæa theatris,


Surgere signa solent, primumqne ostendere vultus,
Cætera paulatim; placidoque educta tenore
Tota patent, imoque pedes in margine ponunt [10].

Tal cortina veniva adoperata nei teatri greci e romani per lo stesso
uso che i nostri siparii, a fine di nascondere il palco scenico prima
del principio della rappresentazione e negli intermezzi. Questa
cortina, scrive De Rich [11], non era però sospesa come i siparii e
non scendeva giù dall’alto; ma tutt’al contrario, quando cominciava la
rappresentazione, si lasciava cadere la cortina entro l’incavo
suddescritto, e per conseguenza, finito l’atto, si tirava su dallo
stesso; quindi l’espressione aulæa premuntur [12] di Orazio, cala il
sipario, significa che la rappresentazione sta per incominciare ed
aulæa tolluntur di Ovidio [13], il sipario si alza, che l’atto o la
rappresentazione è finita. Questo incavo entro cui scendeva
l’aulæum, per essere sotto il proscenium, appellavasi con altro nome
hyposcenium.
Del resto v’han di coloro che l’aulæum pretendono fosse proprio del
teatro tragico soltanto, e che la commedia si servisse del siparium,
che il succitato De Rich definisce una scena o paravento, adoperato
nei teatri, e consistente in più spicchi, che potevano essere aperti o
ripiegati l’uno sull’altro, come si fa ne’ paraventi che usiamo ora. Se
non che Apulejo ha questo passo: Aulæo subducto et complicatis
sipariis scena disponetur [14]; e si vede così usar egli de’ due
vocaboli promiscuamente; quantunque il suo linguaggio implichi che
l’aulæum era fatto calare (subductum) sotto la scena, quando lo
spettacolo principiava, e il siparium era invece ripiegato in su
(complicatum) nello stesso momento. Pare poi che questo ufficio di
abbassare gli aulei, o siparii, de’ teatri spettasse specialmente a’
Britanni, cioè agli schiavi fatti nelle guerre della Britannia e condotti,
secondo il costume, a Roma, se questi versi Virgilio pose in una sua
Georgica, che vi fanno non dubbia allusione:

Vel scena ut versis discedat frontibus, utque


Purpurea intexti tollant aulæa Britanni [15].

Finalmente le due lunghe camere dietro la scena, di cui l’una doveva


essere coperta, l’altra scoperta, e servivano alla preparazione degli
attori, si chiamava il postscenium, o dietroscena, al quale ha tratto
Lucrezio nel suo Poema al libro IV [16].
Il teatro Comico od Odeum di Pompei era della capacità di forse
millecinquecento spettatori: quindi abbastanza grande per tale città,
pur calcolando che alle rappresentazioni tanto sceniche che circensi
traessero molti dalle città vicine e borgate. Perocchè s’egli è vero
che il Teatro Tragico ne contenesse quasi quattro volte di più e
l’anfiteatro molte migliaja, come a suo luogo dirò, è altresì vero che
la minore importanza degli spettacoli dell’Odeum voglia essere
considerata; vedendo noi pure oggidì anche nelle più vaste e
popolose città esservi diversi teatri, e secondo l’entità degli spettacoli
che vi si offrono, avere anche la capacità.
Compirà la descrizione materiale di questo teatro pompejano, quale
fu rinvenuto cogli scavi, l’accennare come presso all’ingresso siensi
vedute molte iscrizioni graffite, evidentemente da schiavi, liberti e
gladiatori, taluna recante spavalde imprese, tal altra oscenità, di cui
non giova tener conto; ove si eccettui d’una di quest’ultimo genere
publicata dal De Clarac, che portando la data dei 13 delle calende di
dicembre dell’anno del consolato di M. Messala e L. Lentulo, cioè
l’anno 731 di Roma, prova l’esistenza dell’Odeum a tre anni avanti
Cristo, quindi più di ottant’anni prima della catastrofe della città.
Finalmente a tutto dire di quelle particolarità che sono attinenti al
teatro antico, e che possono altresì riuscire a noi di non dubbio
interesse e studio, per quelle applicazioni che nella costruzione di
congeneri edifizj si potrebbero fare, ricorderò che nella parte
superiore di esso dov’erano le carrucole e gli altri congegni del
velarium, del quale non ho a dire in questo capitolo, non occorrendo
di esso perchè l’Odeo era coperto, ma me ne riserbo nel venturo,
sospendevansi specie di campane di bronzo o di terra cotta
chiamate echea, la cui apertura era rivolta in basso verso la scena,
sicchè la voce ferendone la cavità, ne produceva il suono più chiaro
e più armonioso, come si legge in Vitruvio [17]. Queste campane, o
vasi di bronzo o di terra cotta, erano proporzionatamente una più
piccola dell’altra, acciocchè producesse l’una il suono più acuto
dell’altra, e servivano solo, come chiaramente leggesi nel detto
autore, per aumentare le voci corrispondenti, non per sonarsi con de’
martelli, come taluno si è avvisato di dire.
Una particolarità che non vuol essere a questo punto negletta, sono
le tessere state ritrovate negli scavi dell’Odeum, e le quali servivano,
come ora servono i biglietti, per avere ingresso al teatro. Esse sono
di figura circolare e di un pollice di diametro ed è a presumersi che
fossero in uso anche in tutti gli altri di Roma ed altrove in quel
tempo, per quanto eziandio sto adesso per dire.
La dichiarazione di esse importa venga qui fatta, perchè mi aprirà
l’adito a intrattenermi più avanti del genere delle rappresentazioni.
Teatro Comico od Odeum di Pompei. Vol. II, Cap. XII.

Di tre tessere si hanno esemplari, rinvenuti negli scavi pompejani,


senza tener tuttavia conto di quelle altre a forma di mandorle o di
piccioni, le quali ultime credesi valessero per i posti destinati alla
plebe; ragione forse codesta per la quale anche oggidì a siffatti posti
si suol dare da noi il nome di piccionaja, scambiato per sinonimo di
loggione, o di quel posto che è destinato alla plebe; o, dirò meglio, ai
paganti prezzi minori.
La prima di quelle tre tessere rappresenta da un lato una specie di
edificio e nel rovescio sono malamente incise queste parole:
XII
AICX-YAOY
IB

che si vollero interpretare, nella supposizione che nelle città della


Campania si rappresentassero ancora le tragedie del più antico tra i

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