Assignment for Practicals
Operations Research – I
Operations Research in Daily Life
Course: [Link]. IT – Semester III
Subject: Operations Research – I
Framework: University of Mumbai (NEP 2020)
College: Lords Universal College, Mumbai
Table of Contents
Sr. No. Topic Page No.
1 Introduction 3
2 Route Planning 4
3 Shopping and Budget Planning 4
4 Timetable Scheduling 5
5 Queue Management 5
6 Daily Time Management 6
7 Conclusion 6
Introduction
Operations Research, or OR, is a method of using mathematical models, data, and logical
techniques to make better decisions. It helps people and organizations use limited resources
efficiently, reduce costs, save time, and improve results.
Operations Research is useful in many daily-life activities. Five common examples are
explained below.
1. Route Planning
Route planning is used when travelling from one place to another. For example, if you have to
travel from your home to college, you might have several routes available, each with different
distances, traffic conditions, and travel times.
OR helps by:
• Finding the shortest or fastest route
• Reducing travel time
• Reducing fuel consumption
• Comparing different routes
• Avoiding unnecessary delays
Example: If Route A takes 45 minutes and Route B takes 30 minutes, OR techniques help
you select Route B when time is the main priority.
2. Shopping and Budget Planning
OR can help you decide what products to buy while staying within a fixed budget. For
example, a student has Rs. 2,000 to spend on groceries, with several products available at
different prices and quantities.
OR helps by:
• Allocating the available budget efficiently
• Comparing prices
• Selecting products according to priorities
• Avoiding unnecessary spending
• Maximizing value within the available money
Example: If you have Rs. 1,000 and need food, stationery, and personal-care products,
OR helps distribute the money according to your requirements.
3. Timetable Scheduling
Timetable scheduling is useful in schools and colleges. A college has several subjects,
teachers, classrooms, and student batches that must be arranged without conflicts.
OR helps by:
• Assigning subjects to suitable time slots
• Avoiding clashes between classes
• Making efficient use of classrooms
• Managing teacher availability
• Creating a balanced timetable
Example: A teacher who teaches two classes cannot be assigned to both at the same
time. OR helps create a timetable while satisfying such restrictions.
4. Queue Management
OR is used to manage waiting lines at places like bank counters, canteens, or ticket windows.
If too few counters are open, customers wait too long; if too many are open, staff sit idle.
OR helps by:
• Calculating the ideal number of counters needed
• Reducing customer waiting time
• Balancing staff workload
• Preventing overcrowding
• Improving overall service speed
Example: If a canteen sees 60 students arriving every 10 minutes, queuing theory helps
determine how many counters should stay open during that period.
5. Daily Time Management
OR can help organize daily activities such as studying, travelling, exercising, completing
assignments, and relaxing. A student has a limited number of hours after college, and
different activities carry different priorities and deadlines.
OR helps by:
• Prioritizing important tasks
• Allocating time efficiently
• Meeting assignment deadlines
• Reducing time wasted between activities
• Creating an effective daily schedule
Example: If an assignment is due tomorrow and an exam is approaching, more study time
can be allocated to these while reducing time spent on less important tasks.
Conclusion
Operations Research helps improve decision-making by making better use of limited
resources such as time, money, space, and manpower. Route planning, shopping, timetable
scheduling, queue management, and time management are common daily-life applications of
OR. Using OR techniques helps reduce waste, control costs, save time, and select better
solutions.