How would you program this?

[Roel Schroeven]

Paul Rubin wrote:
> "Carl Banks" <invalidemail at aerojockey.com> writes:
> 
>>No kidding--it's a constrained integer programming problem.  Those can
>>be pretty nasty.  This one is pretty simple, being linear with only 12
>>unknowns.  However, they get very difficult very fast.  There are whole
>>optimization textbooks written on this kind of problem.
> 
> 
> Why is it an integer programming problem rather than just a set of
> simultaneous equations?  It looks offhand like 12 equations in 12
> unknowns that can be solved with linear algebra, but I haven't tried
> solving it.

It's because solutions involving non-integer numbers are invalid in this
context. And there are 12 unknowns but only 10 equations.

-- 
"Codito ergo sum"
Roel Schroeven