Use the decreasing-time-list algorithm to schedule these tasks on two machines: How much time does the resulting schedule require? $$9 \text { minutes, } 8 \text { minutes, } 7 \text { minutes, } 9 \text { minutes, } 2 \text { minutes, } 5 \text { minutes. }$$
A) 19 minutes
B) 20 minutes
C) 21 minutes
D) 22 minutes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The decreasing-time-list algorithm sorts the tasks in decreasing order and assigns them to the machine with the smallest total time so far.

Sort the tasks in decreasing order:
$$9, 9, 8, 7, 5, 2$$

Assign tasks to the machines:
Machine 1: 9, 8, 2 (total time = 19)
Machine 2: 9, 7, 5 (total time = 21)

Therefore, the resulting schedule requires 21 minutes. The best choice is C.