A Level Computer Science OCR Practice Exam

What is the primary objective of the Travelling Salesman Algorithm?

1. To find the maximum loading capacity in trucks

2. To calculate the optimal travel route visiting multiple destinations

3. To schedule tasks in the shortest possible time

4. To divide a task into smaller subtasks effectively

The correct answer is: To calculate the optimal travel route visiting multiple destinations

The primary objective of the Travelling Salesman Algorithm is to calculate the optimal travel route visiting multiple destinations. This algorithm addresses a classic problem in combinatorial optimization, where the goal is to determine the shortest possible route that allows a salesman to visit each city exactly once and return to the origin city. This involves evaluating all possible permutations of the cities and selecting the route with the lowest total distance or cost. The Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) is significant because it has practical applications in logistics, manufacturing, and transportation. By utilizing this algorithm, companies can optimize routes to reduce travel costs and improve efficiency. The other options, while related to problem-solving in computer science, do not align with the specific goals of the Travelling Salesman Algorithm. For example, maximizing loading capacity in trucks relates more to optimization problems in logistics, while scheduling tasks in the shortest time pertains to scheduling algorithms, and dividing tasks into subtasks is related to parallel processing or task decomposition strategies.