Tom’s pie eating contest

an example of linear programming

and more
 Tom’s pie eating contest
Example.
• Tom is in a pie eating contest that lasts 1 hour.
• Each torte that he eats takes 2 minutes.
• Each apple pie that he eats takes 3 minutes.
• He receives 4 points for each torte
• He receives 5 points for each pie.
• What should Tom eat so as to get the most
points?

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 Formulating as an optimization
problem

Step 1. Determine Tom’s decisions.

Represent his decisions as decision variables.

What are the decision variables

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 The decision variables
One set of decision variables
• Let x be the number of tortes that Tom eats
• Let y be the number of pies that Tom eats

Another possible set of decision variables

• Let v be the total time that Tom spends eating
tortes.
• Let w be the total time that Tom spends eating pies.
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Step 2. Determine the objective function. Express it
in terms of the decision variables.

Number of Tortes

0 1 2 3

0 0 4 8 12
Number of Pies

1 5 9 13 17
2 10 14 18 22
3 15 19 23 27
Points for eating tortes and pies
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 The objective function
• x = number of tortes eaten
• y = number of pies eaten

Objective function
maximize 4x + 5y

This is called a linear function.

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 Constraints.
What limitations or restrictions are there on the
decision variables?
Max has only 60 minutes to eat pies and tortes.

Number of Tortes
0 10 20
Number of Pies

0 0 20 30
10 30 50 70
20 60 80 100

Minutes taken to eat pies and tortes

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 The constraints
• x = number of tortes eaten
• y = number of pies eaten

Constraint on time
2x + 3y ≤ 60 (minutes)

This is called a linear inequality.

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 The optimization problem, so far
• x = number of tortes eaten
• y = number of pies eaten

Maximize 4x + 5y
subject to 2x + 3y ≤ 60 (minutes)

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 The optimization problem, so far
• x = number of tortes eaten
• y = number of pies eaten

Maximize 4x + 5y
subject to 2x + 3y ≤ 60 (minutes)

x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0 Non-negativity constraints

x integer,
Integrality constraints.
y integer, 10
Tom’s pie eating contest:
LP terminology
and geometry
 Linear programs

• x = number of tortes eaten

• y = number of pies eaten

Max 4x + 5y
s.t. 2x + 3y ≤ 60
x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0

The linear program

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 Terminology
Decision variables: e.g., x and y.
Constraints: e.g., 2x + 3y ≤ 60 , x ≥ 0 , y ≥ 0
Objective Function. e.g., maximize 4x + 5y
Feasible solution:
e.g., x = 0, y = 0
x = 10, y = 10.
Optimal solution: a feasible solution with the best
(max) objective value.

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 The feasible region(s)
20

2x + 3y ≤= 60
Pies

10

0
0 10 20 30
Tortes 14
 Finding the optimal solution
20
Number of pies

10

0
0 10 20 30
Number of tortes 15
The unique optimal solution: x = 30; y = 0.
– For other problems there may be more than one
optimal solutions.
– It is also possible that the optimum value is
unbounded.

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