The Airplane Seating Problem
Background:
Airlines are free to seat passengers waiting to board an aircraft in any order whatsoever. It has become c…
Organ Transplant: The Kidney Exchange Problem
Background:
Despite the continuing and dramatic advances in medicine and health technology, the demand for organs for…
Inflation of the Parachute
Background:
A parachute is made from thin, lightweight fabric, support tapes and suspension lines. The lines are usual…
A South Sea Island Resort
Background:
A South Sea island chain has decided to transform one of their islands into a resort. This roughly circula…
Positioning and Moving Sprinkler Systems for Irrigation
Background:
There are a wide variety of techniques available for irrigating a field. The technologies range from advan…
Wheel Chair Access at Airports
Background:
One of the frustrations with air travel is the need to fly through multiple airports, and each stop genera…
Trade-offs in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Background:
As the HIV/AIDS pandemic enters its 25th year, both the number of infections and number of deaths due to t…
Modeling Ocean Bottom Topography
Background:
A marine survey ship maps ocean depth by using sonar to reflect a sound pulse off the ocean floor. Figure…
Gas Prices, Inventory, National Disasters, and the Mighty Dollar
Background:
It appears from the economic reports that the world uses gasoline on a very short supply and demand scale…
Flood Planning
Background:
Lake Murray in central South Carolina is formed by a large earthen dam, which was completed in 1930 for po…
Tollbooths
Background:
Heavily-traveled toll roads such as the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 95, and so forth, are multi-lane…
Nonrenewable Resources
Background:
Select a vital nonrenewable or exhaustible resource (water, mineral, energy, food, etc.) for which your te…
Motel Cleaning Problem
Background:
Motels and hotels hire people to clean the rooms after each evening's use. Develop a mathematical model fo…
The Art Gallery Security System
Background:
An art gallery is holding a special exhibition of small watercolors. The exhibition will be held in a rect…
Are Fingerprints Unique?
Background:
It is a commonplace belief that the thumbprint of every human who has ever lived is different. Develop and…
A Faster QuickPass System
Background:
"QuickPass" systems are increasingly appearing to reduce people's time waiting in line, whether it is at t…
To Be Secure or Not to Be?
Background:
You probably know about computer hackers and computer viruses. Unless your computer has been targeted by o…
What is it worth?
Background:
In 1945, Noah Sentz died in a car accident and his estate was handled by the local courts. The state law s…
How fair are major league baseball parks to the players?
Background:
Consider the following major league baseball parks: Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Ca…
The Stunt Person
Background:
An exciting action scene in a movie is going to be filmed, and you are the stunt coordinator! A stunt pers…
Gamma Knife Treatment Planning
Background:
Stereotactic radiosurgery delivers a single high dose of ionizing radiation to a radiographically well-def…
Aviation Baggage Screening Strategies: To Screen or Not to Screen, that is the Question
Background:
You are an analysis team in the Office of Security Operations for the Transportation Security Administrati…
School Busing
Background:
Consider a school where most of the students are from rural areas so they must be bused. The buses might p…
The Falling Ladder
Background:
A ladder 5 meters long is leaning against a vertical wall with its foot on a rug on the floor. Initially…
Wind and Waterspray
Background:
An ornamental fountain in a large open plaza surrounded by buildings squirts water high into the air. On g…
Airline Overbooking
Background:
Historically, airlines know that only a certain percentage of passengers who have made reservations on a p…
If we SCRUB our land too much, we may lose the LIZARDs
Background:
The Florida scrub lizard is a small, gray or gray-brown lizard that lives throughout upland sandy areas in…
Design of an Airline Terminal
Background:
The design of airline terminals varies widely. The sketches below show airline terminals from several citi…
Forest Service
Background:
Your team has been approached by the Forest Service to help allocate resources to fight wildfires. In part…
Adolescent Pregnancy
Background:
You are working temporarily for the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The director is concer…
Skyscrapers
Background:
Skyscrapers vary in height , size (square footage), occupancy rates, and usage. They adorn the skyline of…
The Bicycle Wheel Problem
Background:
Cyclists have different types of wheels they can use on their bicycles. The two basic types of wheels are…
The Hurricane Evacuation Problem
Background:
Evacuating the coast of South Carolina ahead of the predicted landfall of Hurricane Floyd in 1999 led to a…
The Zebra Mussel Problem
Background:
Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, are small, fingernail-sized, freshwater mollusks unintentionally intr…
Bank Robbers
Background:
The First National Bank has just been robbed (the position of the bank on the map is marked). The clerk pr…