Strathmore University Strathmore Business School

MAT 3201: Management Mathematics II Lecture Notes

Dr. Evans Omondi ([email protected]) Sangale Campus, Jasiri Staffroom

1 Queuing System
1.1 Introduction
A flow of customers from finite or infinite population towards the service facility forms a queue
(waiting line) an account of lack of capability to serve them all at a time. In the absence of a
perfect balance between the service facilities and the customers, waiting time is required either for
the service facilities or for the customers arrival. Queuing system consists of one or more queues
and one or more servers and operates under a set of procedures. Depending upon the server
status, the incoming customer either waits at the queue or gets the turn to be served. If the server
is free at the time of arrival of a customer, the customer can directly enter into the counter for
getting service and then leave the system. In this process, over a period of time, the system may

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

experience “Customer waiting” and /or “Server idle time”.

Definition 1.1. Queuing system: Queuing theory is a branch of mathematics that studies and
models the act of waiting in lines. It involves dealing with items or people in sequence. Thus, a
queuing problem consists either of determining what facilities to provide or scheduling the use of
them. The cost of providing service and the waiting time of users are minimized. Examples of
such problems include determining the number of checkout counters to provide at a supermarket,
runways at an airport, parking spaces at a shopping centre, or tellers in a bank. Many maintenance
problems can be treated as queuing problems; items requiring repair are like users of a service.

1.2 Analysis of the Queuing Process

Queuing process is a class of random processes describing phenomena of queue formation. The
management is often interested in finding out the quality of service rendered to the customers. An
indicator of efficiency of a system, involving flow of customers for service, is the speed with which
they are served. Thus, a typical investigation of a queuing system would comprise the following
steps:

• Step 1: Preliminary study:- This stage involves an analysis of the process created through a
flow diagram. An attempt is made to identify the points, which restrict service or the character-
istics, which indicate scope for improvement.

• Step 2: Exploration of the various alternatives:- By introducing changes in the constituents

of the queuing system, it is possible to effect improvement. The arrival pattern may be altered by
withdrawing service facilities to certain categories of customers or by introducing an appointment
system. The time taken for providing service can be improved by increasing the capacity of the
system, that is, by increasing the number of service channels or the working hours. Providing
additional service facilities to relieve congestion during peak periods is a common feature. Also,
modifying the queue discipline may change the characteristics of the system. Priority has to

1
 be given to the arrivals involving high cost of waiting time. In multi-channel queues, separate
channels of service are provided for different types of customers.

• Step 3: Collection of data and analysis:- Direct observation of the system in terms of
customer’s arrival time, service rate, length of queue and waiting time is done during the collection
stage. The data is analyzed in detail to determine the statistical pattern of the variables. The
measures of efficiency of the system are computed on the basis of queuing theory. These are
counter-checked with the results obtained through direct observation to confirm the validity of
the formulae applied. It may be necessary to collect additional data regarding the process.

• Step 4: Evaluation of alternatives:- Effect of modifying the constituents of the system on the
basis of the selected alternatives is evaluated through application of queuing theory. Simulation
technique is another alternative. Based on the results obtained, the best combination of the
changes to be made in the existing system is selected.

• Step 5: Implementation: Formulated proposals are implemented and tested on a small scale.
If the need arises, further changes are made and rechecked before implementing them on full
scale. It is advisable to observe the functioning of the system periodically to ensure that the
desired results are maintained.

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

To begin understanding queues, we must first have some knowledge of probability theory. In
particular, we will review the exponential and Poisson probability distributions.

1. Exponential probability distribution:- The exponential distribution with parameter λ is

given by λe−λt for t ≥ 0. If T is a random variable that represents inter-arrival times with the
exponential distribution, then
Z t Z t " t #
−λt
e dt = − e  = 1 − e−λt .
−λt −λt 

P (T ≤ t) = λe dt = λ
0 0 0

and
Z ∞ Z ∞  ∞ 
−λt −λt −λt 
= e−λt .

P (T > t) = λe dt = λ e dt = − e 
t t 0

Example 1.1. The time spent waiting between events is often modeled using the exponential
distribution. Suppose that an average of 30 customers per hour arrive at a store and the time
between arrivals is exponentially distributed.

(a) On average, how many minutes elapse between two successive arrivals?

Since we expect 30 customers to arrive per hour (60 minutes), we expect on average one
customer to arrive every two minutes on average.
(b) When the store first opens, how long on average does it take for three customers to arrive?

Since one customer arrives every two minutes on average, it will take six minutes on average
for three customers to arrive.

2
 (c) After a customer arrives, find the probability that it takes less than one minute for the next
customer to arrive.

Let X = the time between arrivals, in minutes. By part (a), µ = 2, so m = 12 = 0.5. There-
fore, X ∼ exp(0.5).The cumulative distribution function is P (X < x) = 1–e(–0.5x) .Therefore
P (X < 1) = 1–e(–0.5)(1) ≈ 0.3935
(d) After a customer arrives, find the probability that it takes more than five minutes for the
next customer to arrive.

P (X > 5) = 1–P (X < 5) = 1–(1–e(–5)(0.5) ) = e–2.5 ≈ 0.0821.

(e) Seventy percent of the customers arrive within how many minutes of the previous customer?

We want to solve 0.70 = P (X < x) for x. Substituting in the cumulative distribution

function gives 0.70 = 1–e–0.5x , so that e–0.5x = 0.30. Converting this to logarithmic form
gives –0.5x = ln(0.30), or x = ln(0.30)–0.5 ≈ 2.41 minutes. Thus, seventy percent of
customers arrive within 2.41 minutes of the previous customer.

• This distribution lends itself well to modeling customer inter-arrival times or service times for

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

a number of reasons. The first is the fact that the exponential function is a strictly decreasing
function of t. This means that after an arrival has occurred, the amount of waiting time until
the next arrival is more likely to be small than large.
• Another important property of the exponential distribution is what is known as the no-memory
property. The no-memory property suggests that the time until the next arrival will never
depend on how much time has already passed. This makes intuitive sense for a model where
we’re measuring customer arrivals because the customers’ actions are clearly independent of
one another.

2. Poisson probability distribution:- The Poisson distribution is used to determine the proba-
bility of a certain number of arrivals occurring in a given time period. The Poisson distribution
with parameter λ is given by

(λt)n e−λt
,
n!
where n is the number of arrivals. We find that if we set n = 0, the Poisson distribution gives us
e−λt which is equal to P (T > t) from the exponential distribution. The inter-arrival time here,
of course, is the time between customer arrivals, and thus is a period of time with zero arrivals.

Exercise 1.1. Practice questions

(i) At a police station in a large city, calls come in at an average rate of four calls per minute.
Assume that the time that elapses from one call to the next has the exponential distribution.
Take note that we are concerned only with the rate at which calls come in, and we are
ignoring the time spent on the phone. We must also assume that the times spent between
calls are independent. This means that a particularly long delay between two calls does not
mean that there will be a shorter waiting period for the next call. We may then deduce that
the total number of calls received during a time period has the Poisson distribution.

3
 (a) Find the average time between two successive calls.
(b) Find the probability that after a call is received, the next call occurs in less than ten
seconds.
(c) Find the probability that exactly five calls occur within a minute.
(d) Find the probability that less than five calls occur within a minute.
(e) Find the probability that more than 40 calls occur in an eight-minute period.
(ii) If jobs arrive every 15 seconds on average,λ = 4 per minute,what is the probability of
waiting less than or equal to 30 seconds, i.e 0.5 min?
(iii) Accidents occur with a Poisson distribution at an average of 4 per week. i.e. λ = 4.
(a) Calculate the probability of more than 5 accidents in any one week
(b) What is the probability that at least two weeks will elapse between accident?
(iv) Suppose that the time between emergency calls to a small suburban fire station follows an
exponential distribution with an average rate of 1.8 calls per day.
(a) Phil the fireman has just clocked on. What is the chance of a call in the next 15
minutes?
(b) Phil has nearly finished his shift: 15 minutes to go. There has been no call during his

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

shift so far. What is the chance of a call in the next 15 minutes?
(c) Judy works a 10-hour shift, Mondays to Thursdays. What is the probability that she
has no calls in a shift?
(d) What is the probability that she has no calls in four successive days?
(e) Judy is talking about her job: ‘In 10% of shifts, there’s a call in the first x hours of
the shift.’ What is x, to one decimal place?
(v) Births in a hospital occur randomly at an average rate of 1.8 births per hour. What is the
probability of observing 4 births in a given hour at the hospital?
(vi) Suppose there is a disease, whose average incidence is 2 per million people. What is the
probability that a city of 1 million people has at least twice the average incidence?
(vii) A bank is interested in studying the number of people who use the ATM located outside its
office late at night. On average, 1.6 customers walk up to the ATM during any 10 minute
interval between 9pm and midnight. What is the probability of exactly 3 customers using
the ATM during any 10 minute interval? What is the probability of 3 or fewer people?

With these distributions in mind, we can begin defining the input and output processes of a basic
queuing system, from which we can start developing the model further.

1.3 Constituents of a Queuing System

Queuing system entails the follow key aspects:-
(a) The input (arrival pattern)
(b) The service mechanism (service pattern)
(c) The queue discipline and
(d) Customer’s behaviour.

4
1.3.1 The Input Process (arrival pattern)
The input described the way in which the customers arrive and join the system. Generally, cus-
tomers arrive in a more or less random manner which is not possible for prediction. Thus the
arrival pattern can be described in terms of probabilities and consequently the probability distri-
bution for inter-arrival times (the time between two successive arrivals) must be defined. We deal
with those Queuing system in which the customers arrive in poisson process. The mean arrival
rate is denoted by λ.

1.3.2 The Service Mechanism (service pattern)

This means the arrangement of service facility to serve customers. If there is infinite number of
servers, then all the customers are served instantaneously or arrival and there will be no queue.
If the number of servers is finite then the customers are served according to a specific order with
service time a constant or a random variable. Distribution of service time follows ‘Exponential
distribution’ defined by
1
f (t) = λe−λt , t > 0, where the mean Service rate is E(t) = .
λ

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

1.3.3 The queue discipline
It is a rule according to which the customers are selected for service when a queue has been formed.
The most common disciplines are

• First come first served – (FCFS)

• First in first out – (FIFO)

• Last in first out – (LIFO)

• Selection for service in random order (SIRO)

There are queues according to priority to certain types of customers. This type of queuing can
have two approaches:

• Non pre-emptive: In case of non pre-emptive priority, the customer getting service is allowed
to continue with service till completion, even if a “priority customer” arrives midway during his
service. This is a common form of priority.

• Pre-emptive: Pre-emptive priority involves stopping the service of the non priority customers
as soon as the priority customer arrives. For example, priority given to repairs of a production
holding machine over an auxiliary unit for allocation of maintenance labour force is a typical
example. Preference is given to larger ships over the smaller ones irrespective of the order in
which they arrive for allocation of berths.

1.3.4 Customer’s behaviour

• Generally, it is assumed that the customers arrive into the system one by one. But in some cases,
customers may arrive in groups. Such arrival is called Bulk arrival.

5
• If there is more than one queue, the customers from one queue may be tempted to join another
queue because of its smaller size. This behaviour of customers is known as jockeying.

• If the queue length appears very large to a customer, he/she may not join the queue. This
property is known as Balking of customers. Arriving customers are said to “balk” if they do
not join a queue because of their reluctance to wait.

• Sometimes, a customer who is already in a queue will leave the queue in anticipation of longer
waiting line. This kind of departure is known as reneging.

• Collusion: Customers may be in collusion meaning that only one person would join the queue,
but demand service on behalf of several customers.

1.4 Analysis of Queuing Process

In a queuing process, at each point of time, there is a probability distribution for the length of the
queue. The probability distribution of the arrivals will then be different from that of the initial
state. The state, in which the probability distribution remains the same, is called the steady state
and the system is said to have acquired a state of statistical equilibrium. In the steady state, there

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

will be variations in the queue from time to time but the probability distributions representing
the queuing process will remain the same and are independent of the time at which the system is
examined.

1.4.1 Properties of Queuing Model

Queuing systems have the following properties.

1. Arrivals

• Customers are discrete entities

• Population – Finite/Infinite
• No simultaneous arrivals
• Pattern of arrivals in a time period t0 follows Poisson distribution with average arrival rate λ

e−λt0 (λt0 )x
Prob[number of arrivals = x] = , x = 0, 1, 2, · · · .
x!
2. Service

• Single serve channel/Multiple channels

• Single queue/Infinite capacity

3. Pattern discipline

• First come first serve

Note: When the number of arrivals follows Poisson distribution (discrete), the inter-arrival
time; that is the time between arrivals follows exponential distribution (continuous).

6
1.4.2 Measuring the Queue’s Performance
Queuing models help managers make decisions that balance service costs with waiting-line costs.
Queuing analysis can obtain many measures of a waiting-line system’s performance, including the
following:
• Average time that each customer or object spends in the queue.

• Average queue length.

• Average time that each customer spends in the system (waiting time plus service time).

• Average number of customers in the system.

• Probability that the service facility will be idle.

• Utilization factor for the system.

• Probability of a specific number of customers in the system.

1.4.3 Notations

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

The queuing systems with which we are concerned are denoted by M/M/1 and M/M/c where Ms
stand for exponential inter arrival and exponential service time distributions, and the third figure
indicates the number of channels (or servers) available (1 or c).

Table 1: The notations which are commonly used.

Notation Description
λ Average number of arrivals per unit time
µ Average number of customers served per unit time
ρ Traffic intensity
c The number of service channels
m The number of customers in the queue or the length of the queue
n The number of customers in the system
The number of customers in the queue + number of customers being served
Pn Steady state probability of finding n people in the system
E(m) Average length of queue
E(m/m > 0) Average length of a nonempty queue
E(n) or Ls Average number of customers in the system
W Steady state waiting time of a customer
E(w) or Wq Average waiting time of a customer
P (w = 0) Probability of not having to wait in the queue
E(w/w > 0) or Ws Average waiting time of a customer given that there is a queue
V Time spent by a customer in the system in steady state
Waiting time in the queue + service time
F (v) Probability density function of the time spent by a customer in the system
E(v) Average time spent by a customer in the system

7
1.5 Single Channel Models, (also called M/M/1)
The most common case of queuing problems involves the single-channel, or single-server, waiting
line. In this situation, arrivals form a single line to be serviced by a single station. We assume that
the following conditions exist in this type of system:

• Arrivals are served on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis, and every arrival waits to be served,
regardless of the length of the line or queue.

• Arrivals are independent of preceding arrivals, but the average number of arrivals (arrival rate)
does not change over time.

• Arrivals are described by a Poisson probability distribution and come from an infinite (or very,
very large) population.

• Service times vary from one customer to the next and are independent of one another, but their
average rate is known.

• Service times occur according to the negative exponential probability distribution.

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

• The service rate is faster than the arrival rate.

When these conditions are met, the following series of equations can be developed.

• λ= mean number of arrivals per time period

• µ= mean number of people or items served per time period

λ
• Ls = average number of units (customers) in the system (waiting and being served) = µ−λ
1
• Ws = average time a unit spends in the system (waiting time plus service time) = µ−λ

λ2
• Lq = average number of units waiting in the queue = µ(µ−λ)

λ
• Wq = average time a unit spends waiting in the queue = µ(µ−λ)

λ
• ρ = utilization factor for the system = µ

λ
• P0 = probability of 0 units in the system (that is, the service unit is idle) = 1 − µ

• Pn>k = probability of more than k units in the system, where n is the number of units in the
 k+1
system = µλ

Example 1.2. The Tool Company’s quality control department is manned by a single clerk, who
takes an average of 5 minutes in checking parts of each of the machines coming for inspection. The
machines arrive once in every 8 minutes on the average. One hour of machine is valued at $15 and
a clerk’s time is valued at $4 per hour. What is the average hourly queuing system costs associated
with the quality control department?

8
 1 1
Solution: Mean arrival rate λ = 8 per minute =7.5 per hour. Mean service rate µ = 5 per minute
=12 per hour.

1 1 1 40
Average time spent by a machine in the system E(v) = µ−λ = 1
− 81
= 3 = 3 minutes= 29 hours.
5 40

15×2
Average queuing cost per month is 9 = $ 10
3 .

60 10 60
An average arrival of 8 machines per hour cost 3 × 8 = $25 per hour.

Average hourly queuing cost = $25

Average hourly cost for the clerk = $4
Hence total hourly cost for the department = $29

Example 1.3. Tom Jones, the mechanic at Golden Muffler Shop, is able to install new mufflers
at an average rate of 3 per hour (or about 1 every 20 minutes), according to a negative exponential

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

distribution. Customers seeking this service arrive at the shop on the average of 2 per hour, following
a Poisson distribution. They are served on a first-in, first-out basis and come from a very large
(almost infinite) population of possible buyers. From this description, we are able to obtain the
operating characteristics of Golden Muffler’s queuing system:

• λ = 2 cars arriving per hour.

• µ = 3 cars serviced per hour.

λ 2
• Ls = µ−λ = 3−2 = 2 cars in the system on average.
1 1
• Ws = µ−λ = 3−2 = 1 hour average waiting time in the system.

λ2 22 4
• Lq = µ(µ−λ) = 3(3−2) = 3 cars waiting in line on average.
λ 2 2
• Wq = µ(µ−λ) = 3(3−2) = 3 hour = 40-minute average waiting time per car.
λ 2
• ρ= µ = 3 = 66.67% of time mechanic is busy
λ 2 1
• P0 = 1 − µ =1− 3 = 3 = 0.33% probability there are 0 cars in the system .

Example 1.4. The owner of the Golden Muffler Shop estimates that the cost of customer waiting
time, in terms of customer dissatisfaction and lost goodwill, is $10 per hour of time spent waiting
in line. Because the average car has a 23 -hour wait (Wq) and because there are approximately 16
cars serviced per day (2 arrivals per hour times 8 working hours per day), the total number of hours
that customers spend waiting each day for mufflers to be installed is
2 32 2
(16) = = 10 hour
3 3 3

9
Hence, in this case,
 
2
Customer waiting-time cost = $10 10 = $106.67 per day.
3

The only other major cost that Golden’s owner can identify in the queuing situation is the salary
of Jones, the mechanic, who earns $7 per hour, or $56 per day. Thus:

Total expected cost = $106.67 + $56

= $162.67 per day.

1.6 Multiple Service Channel (also called M/M/S)

The analysis of systems involving several service channels is more complex. These equations are ob-
viously more complex than those used in the single-channel model; yet they are used in exactly the
same fashion and provide the same type of information as the simpler model. The major practical
utility of these models are the ways of improving to provide additional service facilities. Formu-
lae for Poisson Arrivals, Exponential Service Multi-channel Queuing Models – Infinite Population.
(Note: The POM for Windows, Excel OM software and TORA can prove very useful in solving

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

multiple-channel, as well as other, queuing problems.)

Queuing Formulas for Multi-channel System

• M = number of channels open

• λ = average arrival rate

• µ = average service rate at each channel

• The probability that there are zero people or units in the system is
1
P0 = "M −1   # , for M µ > λ.
X 1 λ n  M
1 λ Mµ
+ M! µ M µ−λ
n! µ
n=0

• The average number of people or units in the system is

 M
λ
λµ µ λ
Ls = P0 + .
(M − 1)!(M µ − λ)2 µ

• The average time a unit spends in the waiting line and being serviced (namely, in the system) is
 M
λ
λµ µ 1 Ls
Ws = P0 + = .
(M − 1)!(M µ − λ)2 µ λ

10
• The average number of people or units in line waiting for service is
λ
Lq = Ls − .
µ

• The average time a person or unit spends in the queue waiting for service is
1 Lq
Wq = Ws − = .
µ λ

Example 1.5. The Golden Muffler Shop has decided to open a second garage bay and hire a second
mechanic to handle installations. Customers, who arrive at the rate of about λ = 2 per hour, will
wait in a single line until 1 of the 2 mechanics is free. Each mechanic installs mufflers at the rate
of about µ = 3 per hour. To find out how this system compares with the old single-channel waiting-
line system, we will compute several operating characteristics for the M = 2 channel system and
compare the results with those found in Example 1.3.
1 1 1 1
P0 = " 1  n # =
 = 2 1 =
1 2 1+ 2
+ 1 4 6 1+ 3 + 3
2
2 2 2(3)
X
1

3 2 9 6−2
+

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

n! 3 2! 3 2(3)−2
n=0
= 0.5 probability of zero cars in the system.

The rest of the computations are done as follows

2  
2(3) 32 1 2 8  
1 2 3
Ls = 2
+ = 3 + = = 0.75 average number of cars in the system.
1![2(3) − 2 ] 2 3 16 2 3 4
3
Ls 3
Ws = = 4 = hour = 22.5 minutes average time a car spends in the system.
λ 2 8
λ 3 2 9 8 1
Lq = Ls − = − = − = = 0.083 average number of cars in the queue (waiting).
µ 4 3 12 12 12
Lq 0.083
Wq = = = 0.0415 hour = 2.5 minutes average time a car spends in the queue (waiting).
λ 2

Table 2: We can summarize the characteristics of the 2-channel model in Example 1.5 and compare
them to those of the single-channel model in Example 1.3 as follows

Single channel Two channels

P0 0.33 0.50
Ls 2 cars 0.75 car
Ws 60 minutes 22.5 minutes
Lq 1.33 cars 0.083 car
Wq 40 minutes 2.5 minutes

The increased service has a dramatic effect on almost all characteristics. For instance, note that
the time spent waiting in line drops from 40 minutes to only 2.5 minutes.

11
1.7 Constant-Service-Time Model (M/D/1)
Some service systems have constant, instead of exponentially distributed, service times. When
customers or equipment are processed according to a fixed cycle, as in the case of an automatic
car wash or an amusement park ride, constant service times are appropriate. Because constant
rates are certain, the values for Lq , Wq , Ls and Ws are always less than they would be in model 1.5
(Single Channel Models), which has variable service rates. As a matter of fact, both the average
queue length and the average waiting time in the queue are halved with Multiple Service Channel.
Constant-service-model formulas are given below.

λ2
Average length of queue: Lq =
2µ(µ − λ)
λ
Average waiting time in queue: Wq =
2µ(µ − λ)
λ
Average number of customers in system: Ls = Lq +
µ
1
Average waiting time in system: Ws = Wq +
µ

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

Example 1.6. Garcia-Golding Recycling, Inc., collects and compacts aluminum cans and glass
bottles in New York City. Its truck drivers currently wait an average of 15 minutes before emptying
their loads for recycling. The cost of driver and truck time while they are in queues is valued at $60
per hour. A new automated compactor can be purchased to process truckloads at a constant rate of
12 trucks per hour (that is, 5 minutes per truck). Trucks arrive according to a Poisson distribution
at an average rate of 8 per hour. If the new compactor is put in use, the cost will be amortized at a
rate of $3 per truck unloaded. The firm hires a summer college intern, who conducts the following
analysis to evaluate the costs versus benefits of the purchase:
 
1
Current waiting cost/trip = hr waiting now ($60/hrcost) = $15/trip
4
New system: λ = 8trucks/hr. arriving µ = 12 trucks/hr served
λ 8 1
Average waiting time in queue = Wq = = = hr
2µ(µ − λ) 2(12)(12 − 8) 12
 
1
Waiting cost/trip with new compactor = hr wait ($60/hrcost) = $5/trip
12
Savings with new equipment = $15 (current system)-$5 (new system) = $10/trip
Cost of new equipment amortized: = $3/trip
Net savings: = $7/trip

1.8 Using software to solve Queuing problems

Using POM For Windows: There are several POM for Windows queuing models from which
to select in that program’s Waiting-Line module. The program can include an economic analysis
of cost data, and, as an option, you may display probabilities of various numbers of people/items
in the system. The use of this software will be shown in class.

12
Exercise 1.2. Practice questions.

(a) Sid Das Brick Distributors currently employs 1 worker whose job is to load bricks on outgoing
company trucks. An average of 24 trucks per day, or 3 per hour, arrive at the loading platform,
according to a Poisson distribution. The worker loads them at a rate of 4 trucks per hour,
following approximately the exponential distribution in his service times. Das believes that
adding a second brick loader will substantially improve the firm’s productivity. He estimates
that a two-person crew at the loading gate will double the loading rate from 4 trucks per hour
to 8 trucks per hour. Analyze the effect on the queue of such a change and compare the results
to those achieved with one worker. What is the probability that there will be more than 3 trucks
either being loaded or waiting?

(b) Truck drivers working for Sid Das (see (a)) earn an average of $10 per hour. Brick loaders
receive about $6 per hour. Truck drivers waiting in the queue or at the loading platform are
drawing a salary but are productively idle and unable to generate revenue during that time.
What would be the hourly cost savings to the firm if it employed 2 loaders instead of 1?

(c) Sid Das is considering building a second platform or gate to speed the process of loading trucks.
This system, he thinks, will be even more efficient than simply hiring another loader to help

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

out on the first platform (see (a)). Assume that workers at each platform will be able to load
4 trucks per hour each and that trucks will continue to arrive at the rate of 3 per hour. Then
apply the appropriate equations to find the waiting line’s new operating conditions. Is this new
approach indeed speedier than the other two that Das has considered?

(d) Name the three parts of a typical queuing system.

(e) When designing a waiting line system, what “qualitative” concerns need to be considered?

(f ) Name the three factors that govern the structure of “arrivals” in a queuing system.

(g) State the seven common measures of queuing system performance.

(h) State the assumptions of the “basic” single-channel queuing model (M/M/1).

(i) Is it good or bad to operate a supermarket bakery system on a strict first-come, first-served
basis? Why?

(j) Describe what is meant by the waiting-line terms balk and renege. Provide an example of each.

(k) Customers arrive at Paul Harrold’s Styling Shop at a rate of 3 per hour, distributed in a Poisson
fashion. Paul can perform haircuts at a rate of 5 per hour, distributed exponentially.

(i) Find the average number of customers waiting for haircuts.

(ii) Find the average number of customers in the shop.
(iii) Find the average time a customer waits until it is his or her turn.
(iv) Find the average time a customer spends in the shop.
(v) Find the percentage of time that Paul is busy.

13
 (l) There is only one copying machine in the student lounge of the business school. Students arrive
at the rate of λ = 40 per hour (according to a Poisson distribution). Copying takes an average
of 40 seconds, or µ = 90 per hour (according to an exponential distribution). Compute the
following:

(i) The percentage of time that the machine is used.

(ii) The average length of the queue.
(iii) The average number of students in the system.
(iv) The average time spent waiting in the queue.
(v) The average time in the system.

(m) The arrival rate of customers at a banking counter follows a poisson distibution with a mean of
30 per hours. The service rate of the counter clerk also follows poisson distribution with mean
of 45 per hour.

(i) What is the probability of having zero customer in the system?

(ii) What is the probability of having 8 customer in the system?

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

(iii) What is the probability of having 12 customer in the system?
(iv) Find Ls , Lq , Ws and Wq .

(n) At one-man barbar shop, customers arrive according to poisson dist with mean arrival rate
of 5 per hour and the hair cutting time was exponentially distributed with an average hair cut
taking 10 minutes. It is assumed that because of his excellent reputation, customers were always
willing to wait. Calculate the following:

(i) Average number of customers in the shop and the average numbers waiting for a haircut.
(ii) The percentage of time arrival can walk in straight without having to wait.
(iii) The percentage of customers who have to wait before getting into the barber’s chair.

(o) Vehicles are passing through a toll gate at the rate of 70 per hour. The average time to pass
through the gate is 45 seconds. The arrival rate and service rate follow poisson distibution.
There is a complaint that the vehicles wait for a long duration. The authorities are willing to
install one more gate to reduce the average time to pass through the toll gate to 35 seconds if
the idle time of the toll gate is less than 9% and the average queue length at the gate is more
than 8 vehicle, check whether the installation of the second gate is justified?

(p) A supermarket has two girls ringing up sales at the counters. If the service time for each
customer is exponential with mean 4 minutes and if the people arrive in poisson fashion at the
rate of 10 per hour

(i) What is the probability of having to wait for service?

(ii) What is the expected percentage of idle time for each girl?
(iii) If a customer has to wait, what is the expected length of his waiting time?

14
(q) A petrol station has two pumps. The service time follows the exponential distribution with
mean 4 minutes and cars arrive for service in a poisson process at the rate of 10 cars per hour.
Find the probability that a customer has to wait for service. What proportion of time the pump
remains idle?

(r) . A small town with one hospital has two ambulances to supply ambulance service. Requests
for ambulances during non-holiday weekend averages 0.8 per hour and tend to be Poisson dis-
tributed. Travel and assistance time averages one hour per call and follows an exponential
distribution. What is the utilization of ambulances? On an average, how many requests are
waiting for ambulances? How long will a request have to wait for ambulances? What is the
probability that both ambulances are sitting idle at a given point in time?

(s) At a bank’s ATM location with a single machine, customers arrive at the rate of one every other
minute. This can be modeled using a Poisson distribution. Each customer spends an average
of 90 seconds completing his/her transactions. Transaction time is exponentially distributed.
Determine (1) the average time customers spend from arriving to leaving, (2) the chance that
the customer will not have to wait, (3) the average number waiting to use the machine.

(t) The last two things that are done before a car is completed are engine marriage (station 1) and

Lecture notes by Dr. Evans Omondi

tire installation (station 2). On average 54 cars per hour arrive at the beginning of these two
stations. Three servers are available for engine marriage. Engine marriage requires 3 minutes.
The next stage is a single server tire installation. Tire installation requires 1 minute. Arrivals
are Poisson and service times are exponentially distributed.

(i) What is the queue length at each station?

(ii) How long does a car spend waiting at the final two stations?

(u) A machine shop leases grinders for sharpening their machine cutting tools. A decision must
be made as to how many grinders to lease. The cost to lease a grinder is $50 per day. The
grinding time required by a machine operator to sharpen his cutting tool has an exponential
distribution, with an average of one minute. The machine operators arrive to sharpen their
tools according to a Poisson process at a mean rate of one every 20 seconds. The estimated cost
of an operator being away from his machine to the grinder is 10c per minute. The machine
shop is open 8 hours per day. How many grinders should the machine shop lease?

(v) (i) Consider a queue with a single server, arrival rate of 5 per hour and service rate of 10
per hour. Assuming Poisson arrivals and exponential service time, what is the waiting
time in queue?
(ii) Actual measurements show that inter-arrival time standard deviation is 24 minutes and
service time standard deviation is 3 minutes. What is the waiting time in queue?

15