Summary and next steps

In this activity you looked at optimisation problems which can be solved using the linear programming technique.

• Linear programming is a mathematical optimisation technique used to find the best possible outcome or solution to a problem with linear constraints. It involves modelling a problem by a set of linear equations and inequalities that represent the objective function and the constraints on the variables.
• It can be used to optimise various real-world problems such as production planning, resource allocation, transportation planning, and financial planning. The goal of linear programming is to maximize or minimize a linear objective function, subject to a set of linear constraints.
• Linear programming has a wide range of applications in various fields such as economics, engineering, business, and management. It is also used in computer science and artificial intelligence to solve optimization problems.

Learning objectives: Recap

You should be able to:

• Assess the criteria and constraints in a decision-making process using linear optimisation.

Next steps

In the next activity you will see another example of linear programming and you will have an opportunity to try it for yourself. You will also see some problems that ‘look’ and ‘feel’ like linear programming for are in fact much much harder.