Elements of Queueing Models

Characteristics of Arrivals

Queue Discipline Service Characteristics

Characteristics of Arrivals
• The time between consecutive arrivals to a queueing
system are called the inter arrival times.
• The expected number of arrivals per unit time is referred to
as the mean arrival rate given by 
• The mean of the probability distribution of inter arrival
times is
1/  = Expected interarrival time.

• Most queueing models assume that the form of the

probability distribution of inter arrival times is an
exponential distribution.
 The Exponential Distribution for Interarrival Times

High chance of small inter

arrival time mean arrival rate

Small chance of large inter

arrival time
The Exponential Distribution for Interarrival Times

• Customers arrive randomly

• Random arrivals imply that inter

arrival times are unpredictable

• The only probability distribution

with this property of random
arrivals is the exponential
distribution

• The fact that the probability of an

arrival in the next minute is
completely uninfluenced by when
the last arrival occurred is called the
lack–of–memory property.
Poisson Distribution for number of arrivals during some period T

Probability of n arrivals during T time period

𝜆𝑇 𝑛 𝑒 −𝜆𝑇
The probability function is 𝑃𝑇 𝑛 =
𝑛!

𝜆 = 3 arrival per minute

𝑃𝑇 𝑛 = 𝑃1 5
 Elements of Queueing Models

Characteristics of Arrivals

Queue Discipline Service Characteristics

Service

1/  =
• whe 
re
• The interpretation of 
=
Service • When a customer enters service, the elapsed time
from the beginning to the end of the service is
referred to as the service time.
• Basic queueing models assume that the service
time has a particular probability distribution.
• The symbol used for the mean of the service time
distribution is

1/  = Expected service time.

1/  =  is the mean service rate.
• whe 
re
• The interpretation of 
=
Some Service–Time Distributions

Exponential Distribution.
• The most popular choice.
• Much easier to analyze than any other.
• Although it provides a good fit for interarrival times, this is much less true for service
times.
• Provides a better fit when the service provided is random than if it involves a fixed set
of tasks.

Constant Service Times.

• A better fit for systems that involve a fixed set of tasks.
The Queue
• The number of customers in the queue (or queue size) is
the number of customers waiting for service to begin.
• The number of customers in the system is the number in
the queue plus the number currently being served.
• The queue capacity is the maximum number of customers
that can be held in the queue.
• An infinite queue is one in which, for all practical
purposes, an unlimited number of customers can be held
there.
• When the capacity is small enough that it needs to be
taken into account, then the queue is called a finite
queue.
• The queue discipline refers to the order in which
members of the queue are selected to begin service.
• The most common is first–come, first–served (FCFS).
• Other possibilities include random selection, some
priority procedure, or even last-come, first–served.
Kendall’s Notation A / B / C / D / E

Inter-arrival Service No. of Queue Queue

time time servers length discipline
distribution distribution

M = Exponential Distribution
D = Deterministic
G = General Distribution
Defining the Measures of Performance
• L = Expected number of customers in the system, including those
being served (the symbol L comes from Line Length).

• Lq = Expected number of customers in the queue, which

excludes customers being served
• W = Expected waiting time in the system (including service time) for
an individual customer

• Wq = Expected waiting time in the queue (excludes service time)

for an individual customer

• These definitions assume that the queueing system is in a steady–

state condition.

17
Little’s Law
L = W

Lq = Wq

𝜆= Mean arrival rate of jobs that actually enter the system

Relationship between L, W, 𝐿𝑞 , 𝑊𝑞

• Since 1  is the expected service time.

W = Wq + 1 
μ
L = W
𝑾𝒒
Lq = Wq
𝝀
• Combining the above relationships leads to.

L = Lq +  
The M/M/1 Model
Assumptions
1. Interarrival times have an exponential distribution with a mean of 1  .
2. Service times have an exponential distribution with a mean of 1  .
3. The queueing system has one server.
• The expected number of customers in the system is
L =  (1 −  ) =  (  −  )
• The expected waiting time in the system is
W = (1  ) L = 1 (  −  )
• The expected waiting time in the queue is
Wq = W − 1  =    (  −  ) 
• The expected number of customers in the queue is
Lq = Wq =  2   (  −  )  =  2 (1 −  )