Course Details
Course Information Package
Course Unit Title | INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH | ||||||||||
Course Unit Code | ACSC425 | ||||||||||
Course Unit Details | |||||||||||
Number of ECTS credits allocated | 5 | ||||||||||
Learning Outcomes of the course unit | By the end of the course, the students should be able to:
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Mode of Delivery | Face-to-face | ||||||||||
Prerequisites | ACSC288,AMAT181 | Co-requisites | NONE | ||||||||
Recommended optional program components | NONE | ||||||||||
Course Contents | Introduction to Operations Research
What is Operations Research. Scope, applications and impact
Role of Optimization in OR
Data acquisition and model development
Linear Programming systems. The Simplex Method
Structure of a Linear Program.
Solving a simple LP visually
The Simplex method. Solving a linear program
Main characteristics of the Simplex method
Modelling problems as LP
Use spreadsheet software to practically solve LP systems.
Overview of large scale solvers
Practical Sensitivity Analysis
Overview of the dual model
Reduced costs and shadow prices
Limitations of LP and extensions.
Integer variables. MIP programming techniques. Advanced models
Limitations of MILP programs. Overview of branch and bound approach
Other extensions: Stochastic Programming, Nonlinear Programming
Dynamic Programming.
The dynamic programming approach and applications
Non MP optimization.
Ill defined and complex problems.
Near optimality. Heuristic and metaheuristics (SA, GA, VNS)
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Recommended and/or required reading: | |||||||||||
Textbooks |
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References |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods | The course is delivered in three-hour lectures per week. Two cover the theoretical aspects of the course. A period per week is reserved for delivering the lecture in computer laboratories. This is used for practical experimentation with the concepts and demonstration of various programming paradigm examples. Students are handed out a series of assignments and exercises. MS Excel will be used for demonstration purposes. The course material (notes, exercises, forum, etc) is maintained on the university’s e-learning platform. | ||||||||||
Assessment methods and criteria |
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Language of instruction | English | ||||||||||
Work placement(s) | NO |