A new airlines company is planning to start operations in a country. The company has identified ten different cities which they plan to connect through their network to start with. The flight duration between any pair of cities will be less than one hour. To start operations, the company has to decide on a daily schedule.
The underlying principle that they are working on is the following:
Any person staying in any of these 10 cities should be able to make a trip to any other city in the morning and should be able to return by the evening of the same day.
Suppose the 10 cities are divided into 4 distinct groups Gl, G2, G3, G4 having 3, 3, 2 and 2 cities respectively and that Gl consists of cities named A, B and C. Further, suppose that direct flights are allowed only between two cities satisfying one of the following:
1. Both cities are in G1
2. Between A and any city in G2
3. Between B and any city in G3
4. Between C and any city in G4
However, due to operational difficulties at A, it was later decided that the only flights that would operate at A would be those to and from B. Cities in G2 would have to be assigned to G3 or to G4.
What would be the maximum reduction in the number of direct flights as compared to the situation before the operational difficulties arose?
Correct Answer: 4
The cities those were a part of G2 will be shifted to either G3 or G4 but that will not have any impact on the number of the total flights from G1. The only reduction which will take place due to the number of flights shutting down from A to C.
Hence, the maximum reduction in the number of direct flights as compared to the situation before the operational difficulties arose = 4
Alternate method :
Let us determine the number of flights under new conditions.
Flights between A and B = 4
Between B and any city in G3 = 4*4 = 16
Between C and B = 4
Between C and any city in G4 = 4*4 = 12
Hence, total flights = 36
Thus, reduction = 40 - 36 = 4.
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