QPERATION RESEARG-f

TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS
Multiple Choice
e uestions
1. The number of basic variables in a trans .
destinations, is at most portat,on problem of m sources and n
a) m+m+l b) m+n c) m+n-l [WBUT2006,2012(0DD)]
Answer: (c) d) m - n +1

2. A transportation problem is a balanced transport t· .

a ion problem 1f •
a) total demand and total suppl . [WBUT 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014]
of destinations . y are equal and no. of sources equals to the no.
b) total ~em~nd equals to the total supply irrespective of the no. of sources
and destmat1ons
c) number of sources matches with the number of destinations
d) the corresponding basic feasible solution is to be .degenerate
Answer: (b) •

3. The initial basic feasible solution of a transportation problem becomes non-

optimal if the matrix[V ij] = [ Cij ]-[u;+ v1 ] has [WBUT 2007]
a) at least one negative element b) at most one negative element
Answer: (a)
4. The solution of the transportation problem is never unbounded. ls·the statement
a) True b) False [WBUT 2007]
Answer: (a) .'
5. The number of basic variables in a transportation problem is [WBUT 2009]
a) at most m + n -1 bJ n + 1 c) n-1 d) none of these
Answer: (a)
6 If th t . methods are applied to solve an n x n assignment problem,
. e rans po rtat10n . [WBUT 201 0]
then the total number of allocations mu st be d) n _ 1 ,
a) n b) 2n - 1 c) 2n
Answer: (a)
· bl · the balanced TP with 4 rows and 5
7. The number of non-basic varta es '" [WBUT 2011]
columns is c) d) 20
a)4 b)5 12
Answer: (c) . .
ber of cells required for forming a loop ts
8. In a transportation problem, th e num [WBUT 2013]
c) prime d) none of these
a)even b)odd
Answer: (a)
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9. The best method for finding the lnltlal basic feasible solution of a Transportat "
10
problem is · [WBUT 2013]
a) North-West corner cell b) VAM
c) Least-cost cell d) Hungarian method
Answer : (b)

10·. YAM is a method of solving Transportation Problem, what is the full form Of
YAM? . [WBUT 2016]
a) Value Added Method b) Value Added Maximization
c) Value Added Minimization _d) Vogel's Approxi mation Method
Answer : (d)

11. The solution of transportation problem with m -source and n -destination is

feasible if the numbers of allocation are [WBUT 2017]
a) m+n - 1 b) m+n+l crm+n d) mxn
Answer: (a)

12. The transportation problem deals with the transportation of [WBUT 2017]
a) a single product from several sources to a destination
b) a multi-pr oduct from several source to several destina tions
c) a single product from a source to several_destinat ions
d) none of these /
Answer : (b)

Short Answer Type Questi ons

1. What is an unbalanced transportation problem? How can it be solved? Illustrate.

[WBUT 2009)
Answer:
It is obvious that the market demands can be met if and only if the total supply from the
m n
warehouses is at least equal to the total demand at the markets, i.e:·,
.
I,a; ~ L,br When
. i=l j=I
the total supply from the warehouses met exactly total demand of all markets i.e.,
m n
Ia;= I,b1 , then the transportation problem is known as balance transportation
l=I j=I

problem.
m
Ia z)
n
Now if, i.e., 1 =t= 1, the T.P. becomes unbalanced.
i=I /=I .

In physical sense, if Ia,>Lb1 , there would be surplus left at the warehouses after all
the markets' demand met, and if Ia,< I,b , there would be deficit at the warehouses
1
to meet all the markets' demand. Problems involving surpluses and deficit are verf
common and.significant in practical life. These type of problems to be posed properly to
. . .
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 OPERATION RESEARCH

have feasidbJTe psolutions after introducing artificial market I warehouse as required to make
it balance • •

2• explain the concept of degeneracy in transportation problem. [WBUT 2009)

Answer:
Degeneracy. ·. · _
A. basic feasible s~lution _(B.F.S.) of a transportation problem, is said to ·be degenerate if
one or more basic vanables assume zero value an initial solution could become
degenerate whenever the remaining supply and demand are of equal amount for a
variable selected as the next basic variable.
'
3. Find the basic feasible solu.tion of the following transportation problem by
North-West Corner rule: · · · · [WBUT 2010)
p Q R Suooly
A 5 1 8 12 .
B 2 4 0 14
C 3 6 7 4
Demand 9 10 11 I

Answer: .
- .p Q R Supply

A
5
I· 9 .I
I
.I 3
8
'
;,1 j 0

I
I I

B I· 7 7
2 4 0 )4 j 0
I
r

4
C
3
,
"6
I

7 Jo
Demand
· ff 0 ,1-0 / 0 )1 j 0 30
A basic feasible solution by North-West comer method (rule):
X - 9 x
. 11 - '
= 3 x = 7 x 23 = 7 and x33 = 4 .
12 ' 22 ' .

4. Find out the initial basic feasible solution of the following. transportation
problem b1v Voael's Approximation metho,d. [WBUT 2011]
D . E F . G Available
A 11 13 17 14 250
B 16 18 14 10 300
C 21 24 13 10 400
Demand 200 225 275 250
.Answer: ·
Solution by v AM: Find the difference between the least and n~xt to least elements for
each row and column to find penalties. Choose column 1 for maximum penalty 5.

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Step Ill: Min imu m elem ent of the unc ove red elem
ents is 2 ·
A B C . D

w 2 26 @] 4
X
X 0 {QI 27 34

y [Q] 5 33 15

z- 2 0
X
5 @]
The refo re optimal assignment is W ➔ (!, Y ➔
A, X ➔ _B and Z ➔ D
Tot al min·. serv ice time =27+29+39+52=147 unit
s
3. Sol ve the following transportation
problem usin g Vog el's approximation
~~~:
- A B C CAP ACI TY
[WBIT T~
1 ·so 40 80 400
2 £
80 70 40 400
3 60 70 60
4- 500
60 60 60 400
5 - 30 50 · 40 800
REQUIREMENT 800 600 110 0
Ans wer :
Usi ng V ~ge l's app roxi mat ion method, w.e get
the foll owi ng deg ene rate initial Basic
feas ible solu tion of the T.P . (It is a bala nce d T.P
;):.
A . B C Cap acit y
L
1 400 I
50 40 80 400
2 400 1.
80 70 40 400
3 500
60 70 500
60
4 200 I. 200 I
60 60 400
60
5 soo I
30 50 800
40
Reg -+ 800 . 600 1100 2500
Hen ce n =5, m =3, :. m + n - 1= 5 + 3 - 1 =7

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r put occupied cells are 6 W l
. 1·
for the optima tty of this
. e a lot a
A solut·ton (usisma
II
ng u ·(+)
OPERATION RESEARCH
ve ·am.ount s. > o• t the cell (5, 3) and test
v method).
B C UI t
1 ~ I - Let u1 =O
50 40 80 UI 0
2 400 I - Cell evaluation
80 70 · 40 U2 0 fiiJI ; C1/.. -(u + Vj )
I
50.Qj - For Basic cells
60 70 60 U3 20
- .L'.1 1/.. = 0
200J 20Q_J
60 . U ....:. 20
60 60 4
'.
800 T 6 I
5
30 · 50 40
u
5
-o'
Ill ,
v 1 =30
I
V2 =40 V3 = 4,0 -

A11 =50-(0+30)=20>0
~13 = 80-( 0 + 40) = 40 > 0
A21 = 80-( 0 + 30) = 50 > 0
An =70-(0+40) =30 > 0
A31 = 60 -( 20 + 30) =10 > 0
A32 =70 - ( 20 + 40) = 10 > 0
A41 =60-(20 +30) = 10 > 0
As2 =50-(0+40) = 10 > 0
Hence the solution obtain by VAM is a optimal solution (making & ~ 0)
:. Minimum cost of transportation
= 400x40+400x40+500x60+2oox60+2oox60+800x30 = 110,000

4. Obtain an Initial Basic feasible Solution (I.B.F.S) and total transportation cost to
the following Transportation Problem using North West Corner Rule. ·
Destinations Supply
03 04
D1 D2 15
I
20 11
10 2 25
S1 9 20
12 7 10
Sources S2 16 18
4 14
S3 15 15
15 5
Demand
Is lhatlnitial1
. (I.B.F.S) 1s a Non-Degenerate Basic Feasible
Basic feasible Soluhon
Solution? Justify your answer. . [WBUT 2010]

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Answer:
Initial Basic feasible so lut10n
. b•·J NorthW
- estC orner Rule·.
.- D1 D2 03 D4 Supply!

S1
10
I 1s 2 20 11 ,15' 0
S2
12 7
I5 9
I 1s
20
1 5 ,25 )6 5
S3
4 14 16 18
l 10 10
Demand
-+ ,15' 0 to ,15' 0 15 50 -
Here m=3 ,n= 4; :. m+ n-1 =3+ 4-1 =6
I.B.F.S. by North-West Co~ er Rule:
Xir = 15, x22 = 5, x23 = 15, x24 = 5, x34 ; 16 and z = 600.
Since non-zero components of this solution 5 which is less
than 6, this indicates that the
solution is a degenerated Basic feasible solution.

5. Solve the transportation problem and checking

the optimality, find the optimal
solution: . . [WBUT 2012{ODD), 2013]
DI D2 D3 Supp ly
01 4 3 2 10
02
03
1 5 0 . 13
3 8 5 12 .
Demand 8 5 4
Answer:
Here total demand= 8 + 5 + 4 = 17 and total supply is 10 +
13 + 12 = 35 .
So this is a unbalanced problems. To balanced it we add
demand 18) with zero cost and then apply VAM.
a new column (corresponding