GEORGE MASON
UNIVERSITY
Systems Engineering and Operations
Research Department
Thursday, 4:30-7:10p.m.
Science and Tech Bldg II, Room 15
Professor Karla L. Hoffman
Office: SciTech Building II, Room 123
Phone: (703)993-1679(direct) or 993-1670 (office)
Homepage:
http://iris.gmu.edu/~khoffman/hoffman.html
Homepage for Course:
http://iris.gmu.edu/~khoffman/or441_f04/or441_f04.html
Office hours: Thursdays: 1:00-3:00p.m. and by
appointment
I am usually on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 6:30. I can also be
available after class on Thursdays.
Text: W.L. Winston, Operations Research: Applications and Algorithms. Duxbury Press. Fourth Edition, 2003
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce deterministic operations research modeling and methodology. It is designed to strengthen the students' knowledge and application of operations research techniques, provide the student with hands-on experience using micro-computer software in the field and to evaluate the applicability of such techniques to industry, government and science. A working knowledge of matrix algebra is essential.
Software: You will be expected to use a modeling language to complete your project. You need to download:
MPL (Maximal Software Corporation), available by downloading from the internet (http://www.maximal-usa.com). This software is also provided with the textbook -- in a disk at the back of the text.
Main Goals:
To improve decision-making with operations principles and methods, specifically:
To learn about a broad range of contemporary operations research methods and their applications to the real world.
To learn about the role of uncertainty and use of data in decision-making.
To learn to communicate effectively.
Basic Skills:
Formulating basic optimization problems and solving them using a modeling language
Understanding the effects of uncertainty in decision-making.
Homework and Grading: (Click Here for Homework Assignments)
Homework problems will be assigned at each session. Some or all of the assignments will be collected and graded.
There will be one in-class midterm exam and the final will also be in class. All exams will be open book and open notes.
There will also be one project that will require the formulation and solution to an optimization problem.
Grades will be computed as follows:
The midterm will count as 30%,
The project will count for 20%,
Homework will count 15%, and
The final will be worth the remaining 35%.
Course Outline:
The course will include all or part of the following chapters from the Hillier and Lieberman text, covered in the indicated sequence. The exact scheduling will depend upon the interests of the class, which will determine the amount of time that will be devoted to each topic.
WEEK CHAPTER(S) TOPIC
Week One Chap.1, 2, 3-1 to 3-4 Introduction to operations research & linear programming.
Week Two Chap. 3 Formulation techniques and graphing
Week Three Chap. 4-1 to 4-7 The Simplex Method
Week Four Chap 4-8 to 4-12 More Simplex Method
Week Five Chap. 6-1 to 6-2 Sensitivity Analysis & Duality
Week Six Chap. 6-3 to 6-10 More Sensitivity Analysis
Week Seven Chap. 7-1 to 7-5 The Transportation Problem
Week Eight Midterm Exam (Transportation not on midterm)
Week Nine Chap. 8-1 to 8-6 Networks
Week Ten Chap. 9-1 to 9-2 Begin Integer Programming
Week Eleven Chap. 9-3 to 9-8 Integer Programming Methods
Week Twelve Chap. 12-1 to 12-3 Introduction to Nonlinear Programming
Week Thirteen Chap. 12-4 to 12-8 Nonlinear Programming
Week Fourteen Review
Week Fifteen Final Exam
Fundamental Rules:
(1) Make-up exams will only be given for extreme situations, and only if I am contacted before the exam is given and full arrangements are established. Full adherence to this policy is the responsibility of the student.
(2) The exam dates above are tentative, and it is the student's responsibility to keep abreast of changes.
(3) Homework will be assigned each class, and usually collected. All work must be clearly written. Illegible work will not be accepted.
(4) There is a penalty of 10% of the total grade for each day that the homework is late.