Q . 1 Define Operation Research.?
Ans. :- operations research (OR) - Operations research (OR) is an analytical
method of problem-solving and decision-making that is useful in the
management of organizations. In operations research, problems are broken
down into basic components and then solved in defined steps by mathematical
analysis.The process of operations research can be broadly broken down into
the following steps:
1. Identifying a problem that needs to be solved.
Constructing a model around the problem that resembles the real world and
variables.
2. Using the model to derive solutions to the problem.
3. Testing each solution on the model and analyzing its success.
4. Implementing the solution to the actual problem.
Disciplines that are similar to, or overlap with, operations research
include statistical analysis, management science, game theory, optimization
theory, artificial intelligence and network analysis. All of these techniques have
the goal of solving complex problems and improving quantitative decisions.
The concept of operations research arose during World War II by military
planners. After the war, the techniques used in their operations research were
applied to addressing problems in business, the government and society.
The operation research can be defined as: Definitions:-
(i) It is the application of scientific methods, techniques and tools to problems
involving the operations of a system so as to provide those in the control of the
system with optimum solutions to the problems. (ii) Operation Research is a
tool for taking decisions which searches for the optimum results in parity with
the overall objectives and constraints of the organization. (iii) O.R. is a scientific
method of providing executive department with a quantitative basis of
decisions regarding the operations under their control. (iv) O.R. is a scientific
approach to problem solving for management. (v) O.R. is an aid for executive in
making his decisions by providing him with the needed quantitative
information’s based on the scientific method of analysis. (vi) O.R. is the
application of modern methods of mathematical science to complex problems
involving management of large systems of men, machines, materials, and
money in industry, business, government and defense. The distinctive approach
is to develop a scientific model of the system incorporating measurement of
factors such as chance and risk, to predict and compare the outcome of
alternative decisions, strategies or controls. (vii) It is the application of the
scientific methods by scientists and subject specialists to the study of the given
operation. Its purpose is to give administration, a basis for predicting
quantitatively the most effective results of an operation under given set of
variable conditions and thereby to provide a sound basis for “decision-making”.
In fact in Operation Research, research techniques and scientific methods are
employed for the analysis and also for studying the current or future problems.
Thus, Operation Research offers alternative plans for a problem to the
management for decisions. Although it is very clear that operation research
never make decisions for the management, instead the method presents
management with a careful scientific and quantitative analysis of problem so
that the management will be in a better position to make sounder decisions.
Characteristics of operations research
There are three primary characteristics of all operations research efforts:
1. Optimization- The purpose of operations research is to achieve the best
performance under the given circumstances. Optimization also involves
comparing and narrowing down potential options.
2. Simulation- This involves building models or replications in order to try out
and test solutions before applying them.
3. Probability and statistics- This includes using mathematical algorithms and
data to uncover helpful insights and risks, make reliable predictions and test
possible solutions.
Importance of operations research
The field of operations research provides a more powerful approach to decision
making than ordinary software and data analytics tools. Employing operations
research professionals can help companies achieve more complete datasets,
consider all available options, predict all possible outcomes and estimate risk.
Additionally, operations research can be tailored to specific business processes
or use cases to determine which techniques are most appropriate to solve the
problem.
Uses of operations research
Operations research can be applied to a variety of use cases, including:
Scheduling and time management.
Urban and agricultural planning.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM).
Inventory management.
Network optimization and engineering.
Packet routing optimization.
Q. 2 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages Operation Research?
Ans.:- Advantages of Operation Research
o Better Systems
An O.R. technique is frequently adopted to examine a specific decision-making
issue, such as the best factory site or whether to construct a new warehouse.
Additionally, it helps select cost-effective transportation methods, work
sequencing, production planning, replacement of outdated machinery, etc.
o Enhanced Productivity
Operations research contributes to boosting an organization's production.
Before making a critical choice, operations controls provide managers with
valuable information. It helps a business make small decisions that build up to
big ones. Many businesses employ simulation operations research techniques to
increase productivity by combining them in various ways.
Daily duties like inventory management, personnel planning, business
development, installation, and technological upgrades are also made easier
with its aid. Making correct and effective decisions aids in increasing an
organization's productivity.
o Best Control
The management of big firms understands how hard and expensive it is to
supervise every regular task continuously. An O.R. method could give the
executive a quantitative and analytical foundation to pinpoint the issue.
Applications in this area that are implemented most commonly deal with
inventory replenishment and production schedule.
o Provides many alternatives
Management is in charge of making critical organizational choices. Operations
research offers several solutions to a single issue, assisting management in
selecting the best option and putting it into practice to achieve the desired
result.
Managers can assess the risks connected to each option and then choose
whether or not to implement it.
o Improved Coordination
The coordination between a company's many departments and employees is
improved by operations research because operations research concentrates not
on a single department but the entire organization.
As a result, managers in each area know what must be done to advance the
organization's overall goal. As a result, when solutions are implemented across
all departments, managers of various departments may collaborate better.
o Better Decision making
O.R. models increase decision-making and lower the possibility of making bad
decisions. The O.R. technique improves the executive's understanding of his
decision-making process.
o Reduce chances of failure
Operations and research managers discover all potential solutions for a given
problem with the aid of operations, reducing the risk of failure.
Before adopting a solution, all potential hazards are examined. As a result, until
an unforeseen event occurs, the probability of failure decreases.
Disadvantages of Operation Research
o Costly
The main drawback of operations research is its high price. Operations research
uses mathematical equations that are created using pricey technologies. In
addition, simulations require the assistance of professionals.
Even though the cost would be quite expensive, all of this may offer useful
answers. Companies with limited resources can use operations research due to
the high implementation costs.
o Dependence on a computerized system
O.R. methods look for the best solution while considering all the variables. Due
to the size of these components in contemporary society, describing them
quantitatively and developing links between them calls for extensive
computations that computers can only perform.
o Unquantifiable Elements
OR only gives a solution when all aspects of an issue can be quantified. Not all
pertinent variables are amenable to quantification. In OR studies, factors that
cannot be measured have no place. Models in OR do not consider emotional or
qualitative elements, which may be quite significant.
o Distance between Manager & Operations Researcher
O.R. specialists have to be mathematicians or statisticians who may not be
familiar with business issues. Similarly, a manager cannot comprehend the
intricate functioning of O.R. There is a gap t between the two.
o Implementation
Any decision's implementation is a sensitive task. It must account for the
intricacies of human relationships and behavior. Sometimes resistance is
presented due to psychological issues that have nothing to do with the problem
or its solution.
o Reliance on Specialists
Operations research is required to carry out by a team of specialists. Several
factors are related to this, making operations research an undesirable choice for
management.
For instance, if there is a miscommunication between managers & OR
specialists, the solutions won't work and can't be applied. Additionally, if
inaccurate information is given to the experts, all solutions will be rendered
useless and may even result in a loss rather than an advantage.
o Not Realistic
Experts in Operation Research create extremely complex models to address
issues. These models might not be accurate. Therefore, they might not apply to
real-world circumstances.
o Complex
Operation Research is a highly complicated concept. A typical manager would
find it very challenging to comprehend. As a result, most managers avoid using
OR techniques.
The Conclusion
After discussing the advantages and disadvantages, we can conclude that,
despite its disadvantages, operations research is important since it develops
effective solutions to challenging business problems.
Q. 3 Explain the concept of dynamic programming
Ans.:- Dynamic programming is a computer programming technique where an
algorithmic problem is first broken down into sub-problems, the results are
saved, and then the sub-problems are optimized to find the overall solution —
which usually has to do with finding the maximum and minimum range of the
algorithmic query.
Signs of dynamic programming suitability Dynamic
programming solves complex problems by breaking them up into smallerones
using recursion and storing the answers so they don’t have to be worked
outagain. It isn’t practical when there aren’t any problems that overlap because
it doesn’t make sense to store solutions to the issues that won’t be needed
again. Two main signs are that one can solve a problem with dynamic
programming: subproblems that overlap and the best possible substructure.
Overlapping subproblems
When the answers to the same subproblem are needed more than once to solve
the main problem, we say that the subproblems overlap. In overlapping issues,
solutions are put into a table so developers can use them repeatedly instead of
recalculating them. The recursive program for the Fibonacci numbers has
several subproblems that overlap, but a binary search doesn’t have any
subproblems that overlap.
A binary search is solved using the divide and conquer technique. Every time,
the subproblems have a unique array to find the value. Thus, binary search lacks
the overlapping property.
For example, when finding the nth Fibonacci number, the problem F(n) is
broken down into finding F(n-1) and F. (n-2). You can break down F(n-1) even
further into a subproblem that has to do with F. (n-2).In this scenario, F(n-2) is
reused, and thus, the Fibonacci sequence can be said to exhibit overlapping
properties.
Optimal substructure
The optimal substructure property of a problem says that you can find the best
answer to the problem by taking the best solutions to its subproblems and
putting them together. Most of the time, recursion explains how these optimal
substructures work.
This property is not exclusive to dynamic programming alone, as several
problems consist of optimal substructures. However, most of them lack
overlapping issues. So, they can’t be called problems with dynamic
programming.
You can use it to find the shortest route between two points. For example, if a
node p is on the shortest path from a source node t to a destination node w,
then the shortest path from t to w is the sum of the shortest paths from t to p
and from p to w.
Examples of problems with optimal substructures include the longest increasing
subsequence, longest palindromic substring, and longest common subsequence
problem. Examples of problems without optimal substructures include the most
extended path problem and the addition-chain exponentiation.
Understanding the Longest Common Subsequence concept in dynamic
programming
In dynamic programming, the phrase “largest common subsequence” (LCS)
refers to the subsequence that is shared by all of the supplied sequences and is
the one that is the longest. It is different from the challenge of finding the
longest common substring in that the components of the LCS do not need to
occupy consecutive locations within the original sequences to be considered
part of that problem.
The LCS is characterized by an optimal substructure and overlapping
subproblem properties. This indicates that the issue may be split into many less
complex sub-issues and worked on individually until a solution is found. The
solutions to higher-level subproblems are often reused in lower-level
subproblems, thus, overlapping subproblems.
Therefore, when solving an LCS problem, it is more efficient to use a dynamic
algorithm than a recursive algorithm. Dynamic programming stores the results
of each function call so that it can be used in future calls, thus minimizing the
need for redundant calls.
For instance, consider the sequences (MNOP) and (MONMP). They have five
length-2 common subsequences (MN), (MO), (MP), (NP), and (OP); two length-3
common subsequences (MNP) and (MOP); MNP and no longer frequent
subsequences (MOP). Consequently, (MNP) and (MOP) are the largest shared
subsequences. LCS can be applied in bioinformatics to the process of genome
sequencing.
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Dynamic Programming Algorithms
When dynamic programming algorithms are executed, they solve a problem
bysegmenting it into smaller parts until a solution arrives. They perform these
tasks by finding the shortest path. Some of the primary dynamic programming
algorithms in use are:
1. Greedy algorithms
An example of dynamic programming algorithms, greedy algorithms are
alsooptimization tools. The method solves a challenge by searching for optimum
solutions to the subproblems and combining the findings of these subproblems
to get the most optimal answer.
Conversely, when greedy algorithms solve a problem, they look for a locally
optimum solution to find a global optimum. They make a guess that looks
optimum at the time but does not guarantee a globally optimum solution. This
could end up becoming costly down the road.
2. Floyd-Warshall algorithm
The Floyd-Warshall method uses a technique of dynamic programming to locate
the shortest pathways. It determines the shortest route across all pairings of
vertices in a graph with weights. Both directed and undirected weighted graphs
can use it. This program compares each pair of vertices’ potential routes
through the graph. It gradually optimizes an estimate of the shortest route
between two vertices to determine the shortest distance between two vertices
in a chart. With simple modifications to it, one can reconstruct the paths.
