What is stepping stone method?

Answer 1

Used in transportation modelling to minimise the cost. The steps are

1. Select any unused square to evaluate
2. Begin at this square. Trace a closed path back to the original square via squares that are currently being used (only horizontal or vertical moves allowed)
3. Place + in unused square; alternate - and + on each corner square of the closed path
4. Calculate improvement index: add together the unit cost figures found in each square containing a +ve; subtract the unit cost figure in each square containing a -ve.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each unused square

if the index total is -ve that means you have saved money.

Answer 2

The stepping stone method is a technique used in linear programming to find the optimal solution for a transportation problem. It involves identifying the empty cells (which represent unallocated units) and calculating the opportunity cost for each empty cell by determining how much improvement would be made if a unit were allocated to that cell. This process is repeated until there are no more improvements that can be made, resulting in the optimal solution.