Practice question · Multiple choice
A production planner writes four constraints in three unknowns and the system has no solution. What has the model actually discovered?
Hints
- Ask what an inconsistent system is telling you about the business, not the arithmetic.
- Four equations in three unknowns can still have a solution. When does it not?
Show the answer
C. That the requirements are mutually inconsistent
Why
Inconsistency is a finding rather than an error: the constraints as stated cannot all hold, so the negotiation moves from the maths to the business. Overdetermined systems are often perfectly solvable, which is why option 2's counting rule is not the test.
Practise Systems of Linear Equations
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