Glossary

Balking

The case in which arriving customers refuse to join the waiting line.

Calling Population

The population of items from which arrivals at the queuing system come.

FIFO

A queue discipline (meaning first-in, first-out) in which the customers are served in strict order of arrival.

Kendall Notation

A method of classifying queuing systems based on the distribution of arrivals, the distribution of service times, and the number of service channels.

Limited, or Finite, Population

A case in which the number of customers in the system is a significant proportion of the calling population.

Limited Queue Length

A waiting line that cannot increase beyond a specific size.

Little’s Flow Equations

A set of relationships that exist for any queuing system in a steady state.

Multichannel Queuing System

A system that has more than one service facility, all fed by the same single queue.

Multiphase System

A system in which service is received from more than one station, one after the other.

Negative Exponential Probability Distribution

A probability distribution that is often used to describe random service times in a service system.

Operating Characteristics

Descriptive characteristics of a queuing system, including the average number of customers in a line and in the system, average time spent in the system and waiting in the queue, and percent idle time.

Poisson Distribution

A probability distribution that is often used to describe random arrivals in a queue.

Queue Discipline

The rule by which customers in a line receive service.

Queuing Theory

The mathematical study of waiting lines or queues.

Reneging

The case in which customers enter a queue but then leave before being serviced.

Service Cost

The cost of providing a particular level of service.

Single-Channel Queuing System

A system with one service facility fed by one queue.

Single-Phase System

A queuing system in which service is received at only one station.

Steady State

The normal, stabilized operating condition of a queuing system.

Transient State

The initial condition of a queuing system before a steady state is reached.

Unlimited, or Infinite, Population

A calling population that is very large relative to the number of customers currently in the system.

Unlimited Queue Length

A queue that can increase to an infinite size.

Utilization Factor (ρ)

The proportion of the time that service facilities are in use.

Waiting Cost

The cost to the firm of having customers or objects waiting to be serviced in the queue or in the system.

Waiting Line (Queue)

One or more customers or objects waiting to be served.

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