Question: Problem 3

In modern electric networks, automated electric utility meter reading replaces the costly labor-intensive system of manual meter reading. In the automated system, meters from several customers are linked wirelessly to a single receiver. The meter sends monthly signals to a designated receiver to report the customer’s consumption of electricity. The receiver sends the data to a central computer to generate the electricity bills. The problem reduces to determining the least number of receivers needed to serve a number of customers. In real life, the problem encompasses thousands of meters and receivers. However, for the purpose of this problem, consider the case of 10 meters and 8 receivers, using the following configuration.

Formulate and solve and appropriate ILP to determine the number of receivers needed.