In setting up your Excel Solver to solve this problem, which cell(s) would you put as the “Changing Variable Cells”?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To determine the Changing Variable Cells in Excel Solver, we need to know which cells represent the decision variables that Solver is allowed to adjust in order to optimize the objective function. In general:
- Changing Variable Cells are the cells that Solver will adjust by changing their values to improve the objective.
- These cells should not be fixed inputs, constants, or constraint boundaries; they are the decision variables you want Solver to optimize.
- Typically, you identify them by looking at the model layout: the cells that contain the decision variables (often labeled x1, x2, etc.) or the cells whose values you want Solver to compute.
- The objective cell (the one Solver tries to maximize or minimize) and any constraint cells are not Changing Variable Cells themselves, unless a constraint or objective references a range that you intend Solver to modify, which is less common and would be an unusual setup.

Now let’s evaluate the provided options in light of these general rules:
- Option a: D2
  If D2 contains a decision variable (i.e., a value Solver is allowed to change), then it could be a Changing Variable Cell. If D2 is instead a calculated value, a parameter, or part of a constraint, then it should not be a changing variable. Without the model context, we can’t confirm.
- Option b: C2
  Similar reasoning as D2: it depends on whether C2 holds a decision variable. If C2 is an input you want Solver to adjust, it qualifies; if it’s a fixed parameter or a constraint-related cell, it would not.
- Option c: C4
  The same logic applies. Its eligibility hinges on whether C4 is a variable you want Solver to optimize rather than a fixed value or a constraint result.
- Option d: D4
  Again, depends on the role of D4 in the spreadsheet model. If it’s a target decision variable, it’s a candidate; if not, then it’s not.
- Option e: C3
  Holds the same conditional status as prior options. Identification requires knowing if C3 is a controllable decision variable.
- Option f: D3
  The same evaluation: only if D3 is the cell containing a decision variable would it be a Changing Variable Cell.

Since the question relies on the specific layout of the Excel model (which cells are designated as decision variables versus fixed inputs or results), and that layout is not provided here, the precise correct choices cannot be determined from the given information alone. The key criterion to decide would be:
- Is the cell intended to be altered by Solver to optimize the objective (then it is a Changing Variable Cell)?
- Or is the cell a constant, a constraint value, or a computed result that Solver should not change (then it is not a Changing Variable Cell)?

If you have access to the worksheet, a quick check would be: select Solver, click on the Changing Variable Cells box, and see which cells Solver currently lists as adjustable. Those are precisely the Changing Variable Cells for your problem. If you cannot access Solver right now, try to recall which cells hold the decision variables (often named or labeled as the quantities to decide) and focus on those as the likely candidates. If you can share the specific roles of D2, C2, C4, D4, C3, and D3 in your model (what they represent and whether Solver should modify them), I can help classify each option as a Changing Variable Cell or not with certainty.

MCD2080 - T1 - 2025 Lecture Lesson 1 (Week 9)

In setting up your Excel Solver to solve this problem, which cell(s) would you put as the “Changing Variable Cells”?

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