Final answer:
A balanced transportation problem is when the total supply of goods equals the total demand for goods. To solve an unbalanced transportation problem, a dummy source or destination can be added to balance the problem.
Step-by-step explanation:
In transportation, a balanced transportation problem is one in which the total supply of goods equals the total demand for goods. This means that the amount of goods produced is exactly equal to the amount of goods needed to be transported. In such a problem, the objective is to minimize the cost of transportation.
To solve an unbalanced transportation problem, the approach is to introduce a dummy source or dummy destination to balance the problem. A dummy source is added when the total supply exceeds the total demand, while a dummy destination is added when the total demand exceeds the total supply. These dummy sources or destinations are assigned a cost of zero.