The department of engineering at a university in Alberta must assign six faculty members to their new offices. The following closeness matrix indicates the expected number of contacts per day between professors. The available office spaces (1-6) for the six faculty members are shown in Figure 10.14. Assume equal-sized offices. The distance between offices 1 and 2 (and between offices 1 and 3) is 1 unit, whereas the distance between offices 1 and 4 is 2 units.

a. Because of their academic positions, Professor A has to be assigned to office 1, Professor C to office 2, and Professor D to office 6. Which faculty members should be assigned to offices 3, 4, and 5, respectively, to minimize the total weighted-distance score (assuming rectilinear distance)?
b. What is the weighted-distance score of your solution?

Transcribed Image Text:

Closeness Matrix CONTACTS BETWEEN PROFESSORS PROFESSOR 12 10