Microsoft® Excel® 2010: Data Analysis and Business Modeling

Chapter 37. The Traveling Salesperson Problem

Questions answered in this chapter:

• How can I use Excel to solve sequencing problems?

• How can I use Excel to solve a traveling salesperson problem (TSP)?

Answers to This Chapter’s Questions

How can I use Excel to solve sequencing problems?

Many business problems involve the choice of an optimal sequence. Here are two examples:

• In what order should a print shop work on 10 jobs to minimize the total time by which jobs fail to meet their due dates? Problems of this type are called job shop scheduling problems.

• A salesperson lives in Boston and wants to visit 10 other cities before returning home. In which order should he visit the cities to minimize the total distance he travels? This is an example of the classic ...