Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

9-39 Grey Construction would like to determine the least expensive way of connec

ID: 394496 • Letter: 9

Question

9-39 Grey Construction would like to determine the least expensive way of connecting houses it is building with cable TV. It has identified 11 possible branches or routes that could be used to connect the houses. The cost in hundreds of dollars and the branches are summarized in the following table.

What is the least expensive way to run cable to the houses?

BRANCH

START NODE

END NODE

COST ($100s)

Branch 1

1

2

5

Branch 2

1

3

6

Branch 3

1

4

6

Branch 4

1

5

5

Branch 5

2

6

7

Branch 6

3

7

5

Branch 7

4

7

7

Branch 8

5

8

4

Branch 9

6

7

1

Branch 10

7

9

6

Branch 11

8

9

2

After reviewing cable and installation costs, Grey Construction would like to alter the costs for installing cable TV between its houses. The first branches need to be changed. The changes are summarized in the following table. What is the impact on total costs?

BRANCH

START NODE

END NODE

COST ($100s)

Branch 1

1

2

5

Branch 2

1

3

1

Branch 3

1

4

1

Branch 4

1

5

1

Branch 5

2

6

7

Branch 6

3

7

5

Branch 7

4

7

7

Branch 8

5

8

4

Branch 9

6

7

1

Branch 10

7

9

6

Branch 11

8

9

2

BRANCH

START NODE

END NODE

COST ($100s)

Branch 1

1

2

5

Branch 2

1

3

6

Branch 3

1

4

6

Branch 4

1

5

5

Branch 5

2

6

7

Branch 6

3

7

5

Branch 7

4

7

7

Branch 8

5

8

4

Branch 9

6

7

1

Branch 10

7

9

6

Branch 11

8

9

2

Explanation / Answer

The problem is about connecting each node with minimum cost. This is a problem on Minimal Spanning tree.The steps are provided below

Step1: Start from Node 1. Keep the node 1 as permanent and write the Branches generated from node 1 with their costs. Select the branch having least cost and add the ending node to the permanent set.

There are two branches having least cost 5 i.e. 1-2 and 1-5 I am selecting arbitrarily 1-2 and adding 2 to the permanent node

Step-2: After adding the new node add the branches connected to the new node to the branch list and select the least cost among all and add the node to the permanent list as shown above

Selecting1-5 as it is having least cost and add 5 to the permanent node

Repeat the above steps to find the minimum cost network

Step3:

Select 5-8 branch having least cost and add 8 to permanent node

Select 8-9 and add 9 to permanent node

As from 9, there is no node connected and it is the ending node try to select the least cost branch from remaining in the next step

Select1-3 randomly as it is having least cost and add 3 to permanent node

Select 3-7 and add 7 to permanent node

As 7 and 9 are already there in the permanent list ignore that branch and select1-4 from the list

Select6-7 as having the least cost 1

The total cost would be

1-2=5

1-3=6

1-4=6

1-5=5

3-7=5

5-8= 4

6-7=1

8-9=2

Total = 5+6+6+5+5+4+1+2=34($100s)

************************************************************************

Changed one

Only the cost has been decresed

So total cost would be

5+1+1+1+5+4+1+2=20

The solution remains same as the least cost values are to be taken into the solution

Please comment if any doubt

Rate me

thanks

Permanent set Branch Cost {1} 1-2 5 1-3 6 1-4 6 1-5 5