ABSTRACT
The technique of linear programming which has been used for many years in other disciplines is relevant to decisions such as this, and can be developed with the use of Excel. However multi-dimensional problems can still be handled in mathematical terms, and Excel's Solver function has the facilities to deal with these. Solver is similar to the Goal Seek function in that we specify an answer and ask the computer to keep trying the inputs until it gets close to that answer. Solver is much more powerful and we can use this function to calculate the optimum solution where there are many variables and several constraints. This chapter considers a problem of a residential development scheme. In an actual scheme there would be other factors to consider such as the practicalities of the site layout and building regulations, but a linear programming approach can be helpful in initially formulating a scheme.
