Operations Management (33:623:386)
Fall 2007
Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:20-4:40 PM
Place: Beck 252
Course webpage: http://rutcor.rutgers.edu/~dpapp/386-07fall.html
Instructor: David Papp
E-mail: dpapp at rutcor followed by dot rutgers dot edu
Always include the course number (623:386) in the subject line of emails.
Office hours: Mondays, 1:30-3:00 PM at the Levin building, room 254. Otherwise by appointment.
Syllabus
The syllabus of the course is available here.
Announcements
- You can look at the graded final exams on January 3rd, between 10am and 12pm. Come to RUTCOR, office #143. After this date
no change of grade is possible.
- The grades are posted, and should be available online already. The grade distribution looks pretty good: 8 A, 3 B+, 7 B,
7 C+, 13 C, 1 D, 5 F.
- There was no separate curve for the exam, but I curved the overall score
computed as given in the syllabus. The weight of the final exam in this
score is 40 or 50% (whichever gives the better score), so a relatively
good midterm or homework score might not be enough to make up for a weak exam.
- The date and time of the final exam (from the RU Scheduling website):
December 19, Wednesday, from 12pm to 3pm.
- Exam details:
- A one page handwritten cram sheet is allowed (both sides can be used). No calculators.
- There will be two algebraic formulation questions, one LP and one IP, and some spreadsheet simulation questions.
- Emphasis is on simulation: the midterms had LP and IP questions already. In the final score, which determines
the grade, all three parts will have equal weight.
- Practice problems for the exam can be found in the
course pack, right after the problems for the Midterm 2
practice problems. The solutions are also there.
Previous announcements
- Midterm statistics: the maximum score that could be attained was 27,
the class average was 14.6. To have some approximate grades I used the cutoff points 20, 16, 13, 11, and this way the
grade distribution is 3 A, 2 B+, 10 B, 16 C, 3 D, 10 F.
- Practice problems for the midterm can be found in the
course pack, right after the problems for the Midterm 1
practice problems. Skip the simulation spreadsheet questions.
The solutions are also there!
- Midterm statistics: the maximum score that could be attained (without extra credit) was 24,
the class average was 19.26. To have some approximate grades I used the cutoff points 21, 18, 16 and 14, and this way the
grade distribution is 17 A, 16 B, 4 C, 1 D, 5 F.
- Practice problems for the midterm can be found in the
course pack, pp. 238-263. Notice that the solutions are also
there! You may skip problems 2, 7, and 11, as they involve
some extra difficulty that certain parameters depend on
advertising -- something we haven't done in class. All the
other problems are very instructive to look at.
- I figured out the midterm dates: Wednesdays, October 10 and November 14. Both of them are
closed book, in-class exams.
- Review the basics of Excel before the Lab class! You might find the Excel Refresher (below) helpful. It is the same as pp. 4-10 from the course pack.
- Next class (September 10) will meet in Room #005 at the basement of Levin building. Not everyone can fit at once, so we will have two sessions, 40 minutes each.
If your family name starts with A-L, come at 3:20.
If your family name starts with M-Z, come at 4:00.
- Instructions for standard printouts for LP/IP problems.
- Instructions for standard printouts for SIMULATION problems.
Class materials
Problem names written in ALL CAPS refer to problems in the course pack (CP).
December 12.
- Simulation review.
- Excel spreasheet solution to Homework 10. See class notes on
how it works.
- Here is a sample solution to the second midterm exam.
December 10.
December 5.
- HOMEWORK 10 is posted. Due on Monday, December 10, in class. It is for extra
credit only, and good for practicing spreadsheet questions before the exam!
- PART REPLACEMENT problem, and QUEUES with discrete events. See CP for solutions.
December 3.
- Simulation cont'd. Dynamic models.
November 28.
- HOMEWORK 9 is posted. Due on Wednesday, December 5, in class.
November 26.
November 21.
- No class, Thanksgiving break.
November 19.
November 14.
November 12.
- Review for the second midterm.
November 7.
- Finished Probability Theory review.
- HOMEWORK 7 is posted. Due on Wednesday, November 14, in class.
November 5.
- Probability Theory review.
- Algebraic formulations of the problems of Homework 5. Includes the extra credit problem,
and a surprisingly hard open problem.
October 31.
October 29.
- More complicated models. HIRING STUDENTS problem (p.154) and HUNTCO problem (p.157) .
October 24.
- Fixed charge models (p.142).
- More on logical constraints. Mixing LP and IP. BOILERS (p.122 and p.145).
- HOMEWORK 5. Due on Wednesday, October 31, in class.
October 22.
- Nonbinary variables, CARGO PLANE problem (p.109).
- Modeling logical constraints. ASSiGNMENT problem (p.112), ASSET SALES (p.125), SET
PARTITIONING problem (p.131)
October 17.
- HOMEWORK 4. Due on Wednesday, October 24, in class.
- For the scheduling problem you can use either the book's solution or the one I posted below.
- Modeling advertising. The PICKLES problem.
- Intro to integer programming. IP vs. LP, complexity. KNAPSACK problem (p.106.)
October 15.
October 10.
October 8.
- Review session for the midterm.
October 3.
- Excel solution for PROJECT SCHEDULING (p.98) part 1
and part 2.
- No homework to turn in this time. However, it is recommended and instructive to read the "Guidelines for Formulating Linear
Programming Problems" in the course pack, pp.54-56.
- Another useful reading assignment: pp. 63-66. Don't only read this, but try to follow what's happening in Excel.
October 1.
September 26.
September 24.
September 19.
September 17.
- I announced the midterm dates, see the Announcements.
- We solved the "Bicycle Wheels" and "Making Perfume" problems. See pp.27-32 in the CP for the Excel solutions.
September 12.
September 10.
September 5.
Email me here: dpapp at rutcor followed by dot rutgers dot edu
Always include the course number (623:386) in the subject line of emails.