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📐 Mathematics  ·  Linear Programming  ·  JEE

If two corner points of a feasible region give the same maximum value of the objective function, what can be concluded?

Answer: Every point on the line segment joining those two corners also gives the same maximum value.

  • A There must be an error somewhere in the corner-point calculation that needs to be rechecked
  • B Every point on the line segment joining those two corners also gives the same maximum value
  • C The LPP has no solution because of the tie between the two corner points found
  • D The feasible region is necessarily unbounded whenever such a tie between corners occurs

Correct answer: B. Every point on the line segment joining those two corners also gives the same maximum value

Explanation: When the objective function takes the same optimal value at two corner points, it takes that same value at every point on the segment joining them, giving infinitely many optimal solutions.

Feasible Region and Corner PointsxyOABCfeasible regionZ = ax+by is evaluated ONLY at corners O, A, B, C - the optimum is always at one of these

The feasible region (shaded) is bounded by the constraint lines; the fundamental theorem of LPP guarantees the optimal value of the objective function occurs at one of the corner points (O, A, B, C), so only these need to be checked, not the entire region.

Concept context

Optimizing a linear objective function subject to linear constraints using the graphical corner point method.

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