” From source to destination”
Quick Facts
| Type of project: |
| Coursework, Solo |
| Date Produced: |
| Summer 2018 |
| Programs used: |
| Python |
Key features
- The transportation problem is figuring the smallest cost needed to deliver from sources to destinations.
- The program was coursework for A-Level Computer science to illustrate programming and client-based work.
- Designed to be a teaching tool within a classroom environment.
the full story
The transportation problem is a specific situation in mathematics. The problem is to find the smallest cost to deliver goods from one place to another. I chose to do this for A-Level computer science as I was going to learn it next year in further maths. My client gave me specifications to make the program into a viable teaching tool.
The main highlight of the coursework was the number of features required to make it into a teaching tool. My client needed an interface that was understandable and with step-by-step instructions to solve the problem. The client also wanted the program to be error-proof and to be able to find an optimal solution, even if it had to run through the process multiple times.
The problem used multiple methods to break down the numbers and to arrive at a solution. Some of the steps are:
- North-west corner method: Finding an initial solution in a north-west direction
- Shadow costs: Cost differences between going from one place to another.
- Stepping stone method: A process to create a more optimal solution.
In the end, I was very proud of what I produced. I have created a teaching tool that does not exist in the market at the time. The program met all of the client’s requirements, along with error-checking and Quality of life features.
