SOLUTION: A shopkeeper sells two different types of fuse packages. The first type package contains eight 5 Ampere (A), four 10A and four 15A fuses, the second type package contains two 5A, f

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Question 835790: A shopkeeper sells two different types of fuse packages. The first type package contains eight 5 Ampere (A), four 10A and four 15A fuses, the second type package contains two 5A, four 10A, and six 15A fuses. The first type package costs $1 and the second type package costs 80 cents. An electrician wants at least sixteen 5A fuses, twenty 10A fuses, and twenty-four 15A fuses. How many of each type fuse package should he buy in order to keep the total cost as low as possible? Find the minimum total cost.
Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
let x equal to the number of type 1 fuse packages.
let y equal the number of type 2 fuse packages.

your objective function is to minimize the cost.

that equation is cost = 1 * x + .8 * y

your constraint functions are based on the following table:

         type package        #5A fuses     # 10A fuses     # 15A fuses
            type 1               8               4              4
            type 2               2               4              6

total required                >= 16           >=20            >= 24



since x represents the number of type 1 packages and y represents the number of type 2 packages, your constraint equations become:

8x + 2y >= 16
4x + 4y >= 20
4x + 6y >= 24

you will want to graph these equations and then find the region of feasibility and then look at the corners of the graph which is the intersection points of each of the lines and then determine the minimum cost solution.

first to graph.
solve for y in each equation.
first equation gets you y >= (16-8x) / 2
second equation gets you y >= (20 - 4x) / 4
third equation gets you y = (24 - 4x) / 6

you will graph the equality portion of these equation to get the lines.
you will then use the inequality portion of these equations to get the area of feasibility.

let's take a look.

your graph will look like this:

$$$$

your region of feasibility will be on or above all three of those lines.
your minimum / maximum cost points will be at the intersection of the lines of the region of feasibility.
those intersections are shown on the graph.

you need to evaluate your cost function at each of those points and then choose the point that has the minimum cost.

the points of intersection at the corners of the feasible region are:

(0,8) cost is equal to 0 * 1 + 8 * .8 which is equal to 6.4 dollars.
(1,4) cost is equal to 1 * 1 + 4 * .8 which is equal to 4.2 dollars.
(3,2) cost is equal to 3 * 1 + 2 * .8 which is equal to 4.6 dollars.
(6,0) cost is equal to 6 * 1 + 0 * .8 which is equal to 6.0 dollars.

looks like the minimum cost solution is 4.2 dollars.
this is when he buys 1 type 1 package and 4 type 2 packages.

let's see if that meets the requirements.

the purchase obtains the following:

number of type packages          # 5A fuses     # 10A fuses    # 15A fuses
1 * type 1                            8               4             4
4 * type 2                            8              16            24

total                                16              20            28


it meets the number of fuse requirements and has the lowest cost so this is the minimum cost solution.

note that only the intersections points that bound the region of feasibility are used. any other intersection points that do not bound the region of feasibility are not considered.