Track: High School STEM Competition

Abstract

The objective of this project was to better manage European travel plans by limiting the time to 28.8 hours and cost to $500 used in transportation while attending as many conferences as possible. The input variables used were the intracity time and expense; the response variables were the total time and expense. Design constraints were implemented, ensuring that the model was practical while defining the project scope. Only the fastest route, clockwise & counterclockwise, were studied. There are 5 variables (5 cities) and each segment has 2 choices: flight or train. Based on research, taking a train would better when travelling <500km while taking a flight is preferred when travelling >1,000km (both are possible choices when the distance is in between). Based on the costs & durations, only the Paris-Munich route is debatable on which transportation to use. The predictive DOE model (based on multiple regression model that was built on mean time & expense) shows that Paris-Munich by train is more desirable than flight. The robust design: Monte Carlo simulation shows that there is an 8% risk of not meeting the $500 budget. By raising the importance of time, the new optimal route can meet time & expense requirements.