Linear Programming Homework: Find Range of x & y, Max y-2x

Economists are interested in finding the maximum profit, engineers in finding the minimum cost, but mathematicians are interested in finding the extreme values." The "feasible region" is the region defined by all the conditions. The "objective function" is the function you want to find the extreme values of. In this case, you want to find the maximum value of y- 2x with the condition that x+ y< 1, that 3y< 2x- 1, and that 2y< 3x. The "feasible region" is the region satisfying those three inequalities. The "objective function" is y- 2x. You want to
  • #1
songoku
2,294
325

Homework Statement



Sketch the area that fulfills :
x + y ≥ 1
3y ≥ 2x - 1
2y ≤ 3x

and find the range of x and y that are restricted.
Find the maximum value of y – 2x that satisfies the area above and find also the value of x

Homework Equations


Line equation

The Attempt at a Solution



I've drawn the graph and got :
pic-2.jpg


I'm not sure about finding the range of x and y that are restricted. Do I have to find the value of x and y that are allowed or not allowed ?

And I don't think that the answer can stated in specific range for x and y. If I want to find the range of x that is allowed, I can't state that [tex]x\geq 0.4[/tex] satisfies the inequalities because there are values of [tex]x\geq 0.4[/tex] where (x,y) lie outside the shaded area.

I can state that [tex]x\leq 0.4[/tex] is not allowed, but there are some values of [tex]x\geq 0.4[/tex] that are also not allowed...

For maximum value of y - 2x, I substitute (0.4 , 0.6) to get maximum value -0.2
But I don't know how to give an argument that this is the maximum value..

Thanks
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
My not-very-smart question is, did you mistreat the condition equations and then pick the wrong region to analyze? Are you really interested in the triangular region?
 
  • #3
Hi symbolipoint
symbolipoint said:
My not-very-smart question is, did you mistreat the condition equations and then pick the wrong region to analyze? Are you really interested in the triangular region?

Sorry, I don't really understand what your point is. My solution, based on the graph I posted, is the shaded area (infinite area) and not triangular region. I've checked it once again and I think the shaded area satisfies the three inequalities.

Thanks :smile:
 
  • #4
songoku said:
Hi symbolipoint


Sorry, I don't really understand what your point is. My solution, based on the graph I posted, is the shaded area (infinite area) and not triangular region. I've checked it once again and I think the shaded area satisfies the three inequalities.

Thanks :smile:

Usually my common exercises and tasks did not directly use linear programming. What I should have said was, "mishandled", and not "mistreated". I should also have actually tried to determine the shaded ("feasable") region myself. Linear programming was hardly emphasised in my own courses, only having a brief mention and examples in one course so very long ago.
 
  • #5
I can't offer much help on how to describe the range of x and y values, but your minimum value at (.4, .6) looks to be correct. Here's how you can justify this result. You want to find the maximum value of y - 2x, so consider the equation y - 2x = k. For each value of k, the graph of y - 2x = k is a straight line with slope 2 and y-intercept (0, k). If k = -.2, the line y - 2x = -.2 just touches the point (.4, .6). moving the line upward but keeping the same slope (i.e., using a larger value of k) causes the line to not intersect the feasible region. Moving the line downward (using smaller values of k) causes the line to intersect the feasible region but results in smaller value of y - 2x.

Does that make sense?
 
  • #6
Hi symbolipoint and Mark44

Your explanation is very good, Mark. I understand it ^^
And now the last problem is to find the restricted range for x and y. The best answer I can come up now is that I interpret the question is asking to find the range of x and y that are not allowed. So, the answer :

[tex]x\leq 0.4[/tex]

[tex]y\leq 0.2[/tex]

But I am definitely not sure of my answer..

Thanks
 
Last edited:
  • #7
songoku said:
Hi symbolipoint and Mark44

Your explanation is very good, Mark. I understand it ^^
And now the last problem is to find the restricted range for x and y. The best answer I can come up now is that I interpret the question is asking to find the range of x and y that are not allowed. So, the answer :

[tex]x\leq 0.4[/tex]

[tex]y\leq 0.2[/tex]

But I am definitely not sure of my answer..

Thanks

Hello songoku!

And why do you believe that for [itex]x \geq 0.4[/itex], there are values which are allowed and non-allowed. Could you possibly provide one which is not-allowed?

Regards.
 
  • #8
Hi Дьявол

One example is (0.4, 1). And other coordinates that don't lie in the shaded area.

Thanks
 
  • #9
songoku said:

Homework Statement



Sketch the area that fulfills :
x + y ≥ 1
3y ≥ 2x - 1
2y ≤ 3x

and find the range of x and y that are restricted.
Find the maximum value of y – 2x that satisfies the area above and find also the value of x


Homework Equations


Line equation


The Attempt at a Solution



I've drawn the graph and got :
pic-2.jpg


I'm not sure about finding the range of x and y that are restricted. Do I have to find the value of x and y that are allowed or not allowed ?

And I don't think that the answer can stated in specific range for x and y. If I want to find the range of x that is allowed, I can't state that [tex]x\geq 0.4[/tex] satisfies the inequalities because there are values of [tex]x\geq 0.4[/tex] where (x,y) lie outside the shaded area.

I can state that [tex]x\leq 0.4[/tex] is not allowed, but there are some values of [tex]x\geq 0.4[/tex] that are also not allowed...

For maximum value of y - 2x, I substitute (0.4 , 0.6) to get maximum value -0.2
But I don't know how to give an argument that this is the maximum value..

Thanks
To find "the range of x and y that are restricted" (very awkward wording) means to find the "feasible region" and that is the shaded area on your graph.

To show that -0.2 is, in fact, the maximum, draw a few graphs of y-2x= a or y= 2x+ a for different values of a. You should see that, as a increases, the linear graphs move "up and to the left" and that one of the lines, y= 2x- 0.2, passes through the vertex (0.4, 0.6). The key concept in linear programming is that a linear function takes on its maximum or minimum on a convex polygonal reason at a vertex.
 
  • #10
Hi Mr. HallsofIvy

Oh so I have to find the range of x and y that lie on the shaded area. How to answer the question appropriately ? I think the best answer is just the same as the question :

x + y ≥ 1
3y ≥ 2x - 1
2y ≤ 3x

But it's so weird to have the answer exactly the same as the question...

Thanks
 
  • #11
songoku said:
Hi Mr. HallsofIvy

Oh so I have to find the range of x and y that lie on the shaded area. How to answer the question appropriately ? I think the best answer is just the same as the question :

x + y ≥ 1
3y ≥ 2x - 1
2y ≤ 3x

But it's so weird to have the answer exactly the same as the question...

Thanks
I believe that what HallsOfIvy is saying is that your graph of the feasible region is the description the problem is asking for.
 
  • #12
Yes, the graph you show is the answer to that question!
 
  • #13
Hi Mark44 and Mr. HallsofIvy

Oh my god. I answered the question without even realizing it...

Thank you so much for your help !
 

1. What is linear programming?

Linear programming is a mathematical method used to find the optimal solution to a problem that involves linear relationships. It involves maximizing or minimizing a linear objective function, while satisfying a set of linear constraints.

2. What does it mean to find the range of x and y?

Finding the range of x and y means determining the set of possible values that x and y can take in order to satisfy the given constraints and optimize the objective function. This range is typically represented by an interval or set of values.

3. How do you find the maximum value of y-2x?

To find the maximum value of y-2x, we need to graph the feasible region determined by the constraints and then determine the highest point on the line representing the objective function. This point will correspond to the maximum value of y-2x.

4. What are the steps involved in solving a linear programming problem?

The steps involved in solving a linear programming problem are: 1) Define the decision variables and the objective function, 2) Identify the constraints, 3) Graph the feasible region determined by the constraints, 4) Determine the optimal solution by finding the maximum or minimum point on the objective function line within the feasible region, 5) Interpret the results in the context of the problem.

5. What are some real-life applications of linear programming?

Linear programming has various real-life applications, including optimizing production processes in manufacturing, resource allocation in supply chain management, portfolio optimization in finance, and diet planning in nutrition. It can also be used in transportation and distribution problems, such as finding the most efficient route for delivering goods.

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