Page 386 -

366 CHAPTER 8 NETWORK MODELS

8 In a large soap products plant, quality control inspectors take samples of various products
from the different production areas and deliver them to the lab for analysis. The inspection
process is slow, and the inspectors spend substantial time transporting samples from the
production areas to the lab. The company is considering installing a pneumatic tube
conveyor system that could transport the samples between the production areas and the
lab. The following network shows the location of the lab and the production areas (nodes)
where the samples must be collected. The arcs are the alternatives being considered for
the conveyor system. What is the minimum total length and layout of the conveyor system
that will enable all production areas to send samples to the lab?

2 5
5
6 Distance of
6 3 400 metres
8
4
6
4 2
Lab 1 7
3 5
6 8
4
8
5 7
6
4

9 North Yorkshire University is installing a secure electronic mail system. The following
network shows the possible electronic connections among the offices. Distances
between offices are shown in km. Develop a design for the office communication
system that will enable all offices to have access to the electronic mail service. Provide
the design that minimizes the total length of connection among the eight offices.

3 6
2
2
1
2 0.5 1.5
2.5
1 7 8
3 0.5 3
1 3 1.2
5
4 1.6
1 4

4

Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has
deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.