SPECIAL CASES IN THE

SIMPLEX METHOD
CALCULATION

MARY JOYCE P. ALCAZAR

Instructor I
Department of Industrial Engineering and Technology
College of Engineering and Information Technology
Cavite State University – Main Campus

First Semester, AY 2018 – 2019

SPECIAL CASE 1:

UNBOUNDED SOLUTION
 UNBOUNDED SOLUTION

SIMPLEX GRAPHICAL
One or all of the potential
variables have constraint
Has unbounded region.
coefficients equal to zeros
and negatives.
SPECIAL CASE 2:

INFEASIBLE SOLUTION
 INFEASIBLE SOLUTION

BIG-M / TWO PHASE GRAPHICAL

The artificial variable
You cannot come up with a
cannot leave the basic and
feasible region.
has a positive value.
SPECIAL CASE 3:

Example:
Max z = 3x1 + 9x2
Subject To:
x1 + 4x2 ≤ 8
x1 + 2x2 ≤ 4
x1, x2 ≥ 0
SPECIAL CASE 3:

GRAPHICAL
There exists a redundant constraint.
(Redundancy generally implies that constraints can be removed
without affecting the feasible solution space.)
SPECIAL CASE 3:

SIMPLEX
In determining the leaving variable, a tie for the
minimum ratio should be arbitrarily broken. This
results to basic variables with zero values.
 DEGENERACY

SIMPLEX GRAPHICAL
In determining the leaving
variable, a tie for the
minimum ratio should be There exists a redundant
arbitrarily broken. This constraint.
results to basic variables
with zero values.
SPECIAL CASE 4:

Example:
Max z = 2x1 + 4x2
Subject To:
x1 + 2x2 ≤ 5
x1 + x2 ≤ 4
x1, x2 ≥ 0
SPECIAL CASE 4:

GRAPHICAL
The optimal solution is parallel to a binding constraint.
Thus, the optimal solution will be more than one.
Binding constraint = a constraint that is satisfied as an equation
at the optimal solution.
SPECIAL CASE 4:

SIMPLEX
The coefficient of non-basic variable in the z-row is
zero (0). That means, that variable can enter the basic
without changing the value of z but will bring about a
change in the value of the variable.
 ALTERNATIVE OPTIMA

SIMPLEX GRAPHICAL
The coefficient of non-
basic variable in the z-row
The optimal solution is
is zero (0). That means,
parallel to a binding
that variable can enter the
constraint. Thus, the
basic without changing the
optimal solution will be
value of z but will bring
more than one.
about a change in the value
of the variable.
 QUIZ (100 POINTS)
1 1I
Min z = -2x1 – 3x2 Max z = x1 + 2x2 + 3x3
ST: ST:
x1 – x2 ≤ 1 x1 + 2x2 + 3x3 ≤ 10
x1 – 2x2 ≤ 2 x1 + x2 ≤ 5
x1, x2 ≥ 0 x1 ≤ 1
x1, x2, x3 ≥ 0