One difference in the stepping-stone method compared to the northwest-corner and intuitive methods is:
A) the stepping-stone method never finds a feasible solution.
B) the stepping-stone method ignores costs.
C) the stepping-stone method ALWAYS finds a lower-cost solution.
D) the stepping-stone method guarantees an optimal solution.
E) the stepping-stone method does not consider factory capacities.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The stepping-stone method is a technique used in linear programming to find the optimal solution of a transportation problem. This method guarantees an optimal solution, unlike the intuitive method which may lead to a suboptimal solution. The northwest-corner method, on the other hand, is a basic heuristic that assigns shipments starting from the top-left corner and ignores costs, making it less efficient than the stepping-stone method. Therefore, option D is the correct choice.

One Difference in the Stepping-Stone Method Compared to the Northwest-Corner