Solving shortest path problem on the computer
The Shortest Path Problem discussed on the website is a fairly simple problem and not complex as many real-world problems may be. Take the air traffic example below. This problem will take unnecessary time be solved by hand or not at all, but can be easily solved using software packages like LINDO, LINGO or EXCEL' Solver. LINGO, LIMDO and Excel's Solver are software tools designed to efficiently build and solve linear, nonlinear, and integer optimization models The methods to solve complicated problems will be explained in the tabs, LINDO, LINGO and EXCEL, with the simple Students Night Out Problem as an example.
LINDO, LINGO and EXCEL's Solver will be used to solved the Student's Night out Problem with two models:
A rigid model that is quick to build, but not quick to change when new variables enter the problem statement.
A flexible model (transportation problem) that is more time consuming to build, but can quickly be changed if new variables enter the problem statement.