using different values for cell on multiple cells
Posted by EdEnd on December 01, 2001 1:40 PM
Hi,
I want to have a total value for every 30 different values of 4 cells (total of 810,000 different combinations). I want excel to automatically make an overview of all the total values of these combinations and select the combination that has the lowest total value.
Can anybody help ? I really need an answer fast because I need to finish this assignment before the end of the weekend. If needed I can send the ecel sheet I have so far by mail.
Please e-mail me (edend@hotmail.com) if you have any answers and be as detailed as possible, not that experienced in excel.
Kind regards,
Ed
Posted by Pisanio on December 01, 2001 2:04 PM
Assuming your 4 sets of 30 values are in rows 1 to 4 and in columns A to AD :-
=MIN(A1:AD1)+MIN(A2:AD2)+MIN(A3:AD3)+MIN(A4:AD4)
Posted by EdEnd on December 01, 2001 2:10 PM
Thanks for your reply, this is however not what I need, maybe I should make it a bit more clear. What happens is that we have a train timetable. In 4 places we have a possibility to stop 0 to 29 minutes. Each stop time will have it's effect on the total waiting time. Now I need to figure out what combination of stop times leads to the least total waiting time. 30^4 combinations = 810,000 combinations.
If I have to do this manually doing 1 every 15 seconds I need about 140 days of contunious work so I hope somebody knows a clever way to get it done automatically :)
Posted by Posthumus on December 01, 2001 2:27 PM
Don't understand.
Is not the smallest waiting time equal to the sum of the least possible waiting time at each stop (or in other words, zero) ?
Posted by EdEnd on December 01, 2001 2:31 PM
No it isn't... you have three line... all with different track lengths (so different travel times as well). In order to change from one line to another trains might have to wait at the start station between 0 and 29 minutes in order to get the best connection. The total waiting times is a combination of 6 line changes in three stations.... so it's a bit more complicated :)
Posted by Posthumus on December 01, 2001 2:53 PM
Still don't understand ......
Sorry for being dumb, but still don't understand why, if the minumum possible wait time at each point is zero, the least possible total minimum time is not also zero.
.... also, why do the tack lengths and travel times have a bearing on the wait times ?
