Spring 2021; MA570
Introduction to Operations Research; Stochastic Methods
Lectures: M, W 8-9:45 in CAS 522
Zoom Meeting invite
https://bostonu.zoom.us/j/96792513859?pwd=N3QxLzNnY1VVMERDUkI2c1hOeklTQT09
Meeting ID: 967 9251 3859 Passcode: 375851 Meeting ID: 967 9251 3859
Passcode: 375851
Join by Skype for Business https://bostonu.zoom.us/skype/96792513859
See the bottom of the document for Class Times.
Textbook: Introduction to Operations Research; Ninth Edition (this is important) by Frederick Hillier and Gerald Lieberman.
Note: More recently the 10th edition was published and most recently, the 11th edition was published. The changes are very minor with respect to the core material planned for this course, so using the 9th edition will help ensure that we are all “on the same page”. Additionally, portion of the material that I plan to cover this semester was moved out of printed copy of the 10th edition to an on-line only access. If you are using the 11th edition, you will be all set also, especially if you are using the BU student edition. When homework assignments are posted, I will indicate which sections in later editions correspond to sections that I list from the 9th edition.
Course Overview: This course will focus on the analysis and optimization of common stochastic models used in operations research. The common theme will be carrying out decision analysis in various real world application settings. The core of this course will cover the material in Chapter 15 (Decision analysis), Chapter 16 (Markov Chains), Chapter 17 (Queuing Theory). Time permitting; we will cover selected topics from Chapter 19 (Markov decision processes).
All chapter numbers listed above correspond to the 9th edition of the book. Only difference with the 10th Edition is that Decision Analysis is covered in chapter 16 while Markov chains are covered in chapter 29, which is not included in the hard copy of the text and must be accessed on-line or using a PDF version of the text (for those who choose to use the 10th edition).
In 11th edition, Decision Analysis is covered in chapter 16 while Markov chains are covered in chapter 28 (not 29, as in the 10th edition).
Bottom line on Textbook: you are free to use whichever book edition you want, just find the cheapest or most convenient option. I will make it work, since all texts are the same when it comes to material we are going to cover. I only ask is that you do not use any edition prior to the 9th.
Note that the textbook does not always cover these topics in sufficient detail, so sometimes textbook material will be supplemented with material from other sources.
Course Prerequisites: MA 242 – Linear Algebra. MA 225 – Multivariable Calculus. Basic background in probability and statistics would be extremely helpful, but not strictly a requirement.
Covid-related: Currently there are 45 students registered for this class and our classroom is
allowed to have up to 33 students under new covid-safety guidelines. As of today (January
17, 2021) my plan is to do the in-person teaching with class lecture being recorded for
simultaneous viewing or for later viewing. I don’t anticipate this being an issue, however
in the event that any students attending live lectures do not feel comfortable with fully
participating if lectures are also recorded, I might not post those lectures.
Lectures will only be shared with people officially registered and enrolled in the course and
may not be shared beyond our class by anyone
. Failure to comply with that rule by
anyone may cause me to discontinue posting recorded lectures for later viewing after
they were delivered live.
In the past, we used to have a TF in this class as well as discussion
sections. Beginning in 2020-21 academic year, we eliminated having the TF and
discussions, but each class was made to run 30 minutes longer. That was done at the end
of Fall 2019 semester, prior to becoming aware of covid-19. Reason was to have everyone
take all quizzes at the same time in the same room and administer all quizzes in class in
person and to take advantage of extending lecture time. Clearly, under the covid-related
guidelines I will not be able to have everyone in the same room.
Cheating: C
heating has been a problem, and, in my experience, getting worse. It is not a
victimless offense and is very unfair to those who put in genuine effort into the course.
There will be zero tolerance policy on cheating. Given what I learned in the past, regrading
cheating in this class,
I reserve the right to have a one-on-one meeting (perhaps via
zoom) to make sure that the answers to quizzes/tests are yours and you can
articulate what is written in your exam paper.
I try my best to prevent cheating, but ultimately, I need your help in solving this problem.
Therefore, please do not wait until the end of the semester to bring up incidences that you
have observed. The process for pursuing these issues can be found at
https://www.bu.edu/academics/policies/academic-conduct-code/
and the university takes such matters extremely seriously.
Professor Information: Dr. Steven (Slava) Krigman Email: krigman@math.bu.edu
Office: 64 Cummington (Psychology) Room 237
Office Hours: Professor Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday right after class. Unless I notify you otherwise, I will stay as long as there are questions. Due to COVID, in person office hours are limited only to people attending in-person lecture on that day. Anyone else please contact me for a zoom appointment.
Examinations: There will be one in class mid-term exams, to be given sometime in March, using the Zoom with the camera turned on for the duration of the exam. The firm date for this exam will be announced at least two weeks in advance. There will also be a cumulative final examination using the same format, covering all topics discussed in class.
The final exam is scheduled for Thursday May 6th from 9-11 am. Please make sure that your plans do not conflict with the final examination!
Homework, Quizzes, and Course Preparation: Homework will be assigned weekly. There will be occasional quizzes given during some classes, using zoom with the camera turned on for the duration of the quiz. These quizzes will be announced at least one class in advance. Quizzes will come directly from homework problems (as will the examination problems), so it is to your advantage to be able to do all the homework problems. The only way to succeed in this course is to review the material and work on the homework problems after each class. Seek help on how to do homework problems only after you have tried to work on them and feel ‘stuck’. If it helps you, work with others. But if you do collaborate on homework problems, make sure everyone in your group has a chance to contribute.
Final Grade Composition
Grade Type and Weight
Specifics
Quizzes and Homework: 35% of Total Grade
Based on average over all quizzes and any collected homework assignments.
• After dropping the lowest grade. Quizzes will be announced at least 1 class in advance.
• Also, see the note below regarding HW assignment grades
One in Class Midterm: 30% of Total Grade
Sometime in late February or March. Exact date will be announced at least 2 weeks in advance.
Cumulative final exam: 35% of Total Grade
Thursday; May 6th from 9-11 am.
Additional Note Regarding Homework Assignment Grades: I plan to collect and grade a few of the homework assignments. Reason that more HW assignments won’t be collected is that the solution manuals for many chapters of the textbook have been uploaded on-line. These manuals tend to have a number of typos and errors, so it is easy to spot when someone just
copies out of them when submitting the homework assignment. However, I have had persistent problems in the past with students copying directly from them and turning in their assignments that way. I still plan to assign a few problem sets to be turned in, but in the event that someone turns in a copy of the solution manual write-up zero will be entered for that assignment grade and that grade will not be subject to dropping the lowest grade rule mentioned in the table above. (Best way to avoid any issues is to work on the homework on your own, or in a group if you prefer, but not use the manual in the first place).
Calculator usage: You are allowed to use a calculator as necessary on the homework, quizzes and examinations for this course.
Note: This syllabus is subject to change.
Note: HW problems will be posted below. Unless indicated otherwise, they
will not be formally collected.
Homework assigned on 1/29/21:
• If using 9th Edition of the textbook: #15.2-4, 15.2-5(a-d), 15.2-6
• If using 10th Edition of the textbook: #16.2-4, 15.2-5(a-d), 15.2-6
• If using 11th Edition of the textbook: #16.2-3, 16.2-4(a-d), 16.2-5
Homework assigned on 2/4/21:
• If using 9th edition: #15.3-3, 15.3-4, 15.3-10(a-d), 15.3- 14(a,c,d), 15.6-1,2,3,5,7
• If using 10th edition: #16.3-3, 16.3-4, 16.3-10(a-d), 16.3- 14(a,c,d), 16.6-1,2,3,5,7
• If using 11th edition: #16.3-3, 16.3-4, 16.3-12, 16.3- 13(a,c,d), 16.5-1,2,3,5,7
Homework assigned on 2/16/21: is posted to BB Learn as in a separate file (HW_Assignment 3). Assignment to be turned in Wednesday February 24, before the start of the class. See the file for the submission instructions.
Homework assigned on 2/18/21. These problems will not be collected.
• If using 9th edition: Chapter 16, problems 16.2-2, 16.2-3, 16.2-4. 16.3-2(a), 16.3-3(a)
• If using 10th edition: Chapter 29, problems 29.2-2, 29.2-3, 29.2-4. 29.3- 2(a), 29.3-3(a)
Additionally, some quizzes or homework assignments may carry the double weight for the
purpose of final course grade and dropping the lowest grade rule.
• If using 11th edition: Chapter 28, problems 28.2-1, 28.2-2, 28.2-3. 28.3- 2(a), 28.3-3(a)
Homework assigned on 2/25/21. These problems will not be collected.
• If using 9th edition: 16.4-1, 16.4-4, 16.4-5
• If using 10th edition: 29.4-1, 29.4-4, 29.4-5
• If using 11th edition: 28.4-1, 28.4-4, 28.4-5
Homework assigned on 2/27/21. These problems will not be collected.
• If using 9th edition: 16.5-1, 16.5-2, 16.5-3, 16.5-9.
• If using 10th edition: 29.5-1, 29.5-2, 29.5-3, 29.5-9.
• If using 11th edition: 28.5-1, 28.5-2, 28.5-3, 28.5-9.
Quiz at the end of the class on Monday March 8, covers sections 16.1 – 16.4; or 29.1-29.4; or 28.1-28.4. Depending on which book edition you are using.
Homework assigned on 3/04/21. Will not be collected.
• If using 9th edition: problems 16.6-1, 16.6-2, 16.6-5, 16.7-1, 16.7-2.
• If using 10th edition: problems 29.6-1, 29.6-2, 29.6-5, 29.7-1, 29.7-2.
• If using 11th edition: problems 28.6-1, 28.6-2, 28.6-5, 28.7-1, 28.7-2.
Lecture recording will be added in the spaces below:
Jan 25, 2021 08:00 AM
Jan 27, 2021 08:00 AM
Date: Jan 25, 2021 07:54 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/puNaXA-3NoRzlgyXSq01ZbW- _lp2B_sIisA_uHIwGx2jNOXv2oPrFTlj2-C8dCSP .aBy53hYjaZL6xQwK
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Start Time: Jan 27, 2021 07:50 AM Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/26EF- uJlziiE2TRQK6PG141WYT7b9mv4THfYdpzr_tkDkI_IfGQUF- f_ZH4w_rmf.8YmlcDYOF0afdMnE
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Feb 1, 2021 08:00 AM
Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/XYfSwZH22alEI1stMBZXFa2EXjt4zS
gXdHLthqh8PKAyhMvOTrtEtf4VIymB-cU6.prDmOKEmShCh7xXS
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Feb 3, 2021 08:00 AM
Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/EKfKS0sWU07TbTr9JwB_SN1gvYhk
vOQ9YpUsIkGMwU1IPDD2_GvvDu_AJmonT_qk.d8xj-hZEcPR6DzOt
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Feb 8, 2021 08:00 AM
Feb 10, 2021 08:00 AM
Start Time: Feb 8, 2021 07:44 AM Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/N5uSwEOAvlh3ayJmyo60r_3gziyml6puKm3uWJlcZsGY- 3NvsZAxoIlu6arijvCf.OLHvWqFNbDO6T8lm
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Start Time: Feb 10, 2021 07:49 AM
Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/EuE5FjD8rGsnKukRpFrPCOcHq1Oro4s4as1pQ4- YIivIFMyiZxRQ7emp-6AMISwz.zgxey3NjFJOVjlwp
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Feb 16, 2021 08:00 AM
Feb 17, 2021 08:00 AM
Start Time : Feb 16, 2021 07:54 AM Meeting Recording:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/fnoa374SHiy_VQzJOPaAed5IY- 3jxwt07Sq7zlJcrmT_pKVIgw-AM85COM4EYmBm.iZHGhI3wpvy76PTC
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Start Time : Feb 17, 2021 07:53 AM
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/DOjU- lAKg0DFbQRqFRO1UKJKhhPFITj1JeK0QZSj__k2owKFLQKzycUXPUqys0oU.FFAmVmgYg
EzS6iTU
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Feb 22, 2021 08:00 AM
Start Time : Feb 22, 2021 07:41 AM
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/1CJ9_5hsOqRyY7DcCL6J2fnBAFMvLXZ60RWzrxQMayp
jU_zx6yKSVEcPObwCzeK0.VPh0bQovMcbzHchF
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Feb 24, 2021 08:00 AM
Start Time : Feb 24, 2021 07:28 AM https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/436YPhW9XCsNaDWhG3lAZ2ZN3ByChzTUpj9c6aMkZK
5iWOXHM1uxBigHw0wTUy7j.5AjrxfclHWK4yjym
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Mar 1, 2021 08:00 AM
Mar 3, 2021 08:00 AM
Mar 10, 2021 08:00 AM Mar 15, 2021 08:00 AM Mar 17, 2021 08:00 AM Mar 22, 2021 08:00 AM
Start Time : Mar 1, 2021 07:43 AM
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/Fg5B6cQVDwNLfaBBNlNuaNb1ZuTIhFUj1hXTc4jCp0U G-CS-aISv8BZMRwS-FQrl.ldu7WE-b3TplY_Dk
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570!
Start Time : Mar 3, 2021 07:34 AM
https://bostonu.zoom.us/rec/share/Qr3KQ-UF1L- ByZm2LBAwhSjVTOqWhKivPdF0JrDoURfweIWH8C1I8et_1cor4Mg3.cIK0EDhyHOptVskv
Access Passcode: I_LOVE_MA570! Mar 8, 2021 08:00 AM
Mar 24, 2021 08:00 AM Mar 29, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 5, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 7, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 12, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 14, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 19, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 21, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 26, 2021 08:00 AM Apr 28, 2021 08:00 AM