Review of: Engineering Methods in Microsoft Excel
John McSpadden
07/08/2021
Verified Buyer
Good but hard. Well presented and good introduction to optimization and Excel Solver.
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287-Engineering Methods in Microsoft Excel - Part 2: Applied Optimization
John Ham
02/23/2019
Verified Buyer
Very clear and concise introduction to basic optimization. Excellent presentation of the solver functions in Excel. Effective testing, especially having the spreadsheet in place, so student can check understanding in a short period of time
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287-Engineering Methods in Microsoft Excel - Part 2: Applied Optimization
Charles E Perryman PE
01/14/2019
Verified Buyer
The course primarily uses one optimization problem: purchasing the correct number of cocoa beans from three different sources in order to minimize costs, dealing with a number of constraints. It shows how this linear programming problem can be expressed mathematically, which is important in the Excel set-up to use the Solver tool. Using the provided Excel spreadsheet and very clear screenshots, it demos how the Solver tool can be used to solve the problem. The exam also uses a provided worksheet (thank goodness) to use the Solver tool to determine how a bank should design an investment plan to maximize profits and minimize risk. I think the course would benefit from using other examples or models, such as 1) assignments of workers to jobs to minimize hours or distance traveled, or 2) transportation models to minimize shipping costs from warehouses to distribution centers. The current course examples are 100% accurate, and Dr. Ofosu has done another brilliant job showing an aspect to Excel that few know about.
2 of 2 customers found this helpful.
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