Manufacturing meets algorithms in today's developer challenge! A factory with 5 sequential machines needs to create as many products as possible in 10 hours, but each machine has limited buffer space. This problem directly relates to pipeline processing, producer-consumer patterns, and throughput optimization in computing systems. What's the maximum possible output, and how would you schedule production to achieve it? Share your solution in the comments!
10 hr shift , assembly started at 1 st hour considering there could be 2 parts produced in each machine before the assembly shift even started. We are looking at 12 products max. This is the maximum. There could be less depending the unmentioned parts of the story. Thats just my perspective, But i could be wrong.
Hint: Think of this as a pipeline processing problem. The first product takes the full 5 hours to complete (going through all 5 machines). How quickly can subsequent products be completed? How do the buffer constraints affect the flow? Drawing a timeline or chart can help visualize when each machine is active and when buffers fill up.
Sure! Here's a concise English version: 🏭 Factory Challenge – Summary: 5 machines in sequence Each takes 1 minute per item Total time: 10 hours = 600 minutes Buffers hold at least 1 item between machines 🔧 Max Output: First 5 minutes: filling the pipeline Next 595 minutes: 1 item per minute ✅ Total max output = 595 items 📋 Strategy: Keep all machines working Avoid empty/full buffers Maintain steady flow like a pipeline 💡 Just like CPU pipelines or producer-consumer systems in programming! i dont need to think chatgbt alsa know that.
I agree 💯
The no of output produced in 10 hours is 6. Attached is the excel screenshot explaining the production pipeline.
Intresting
Dont waste the resources. Lets talk. DataMolecular.com
Thanks for sharing.
Well its 9 by me. 9, because it didn't say we need part A to be done before part B can start work so by using parallel production its 9 parts Assumption: * Each machine can produce its parts independently without waiting for the previous part. * Assembly is just matching pre-made parts ( no extra time ) * Buffers allow simultaneous work no delays due to storage limits Bonus: And even if assembly is under 1h we still make 9 parts in 10h cycle. If assembly was >= 1hour then we would start fo see limiting production
Lead Data Engineer I | Scientific Artificial Intelligence Researcher
1dtest in prod haha, that's a good one