Problem #7

To support National Heart Week, the

Heart Association plans to install a free
blood pressure testing booth in El Con
Mall for the week. Previous experience
indicates that on average, 10 persons per
hour request a test. Assume arrivals are
Poisson from an infinite population. Blood
pressure measurements can be made at
a constant time of 5 minutes each.
Assume the queue length can be infinite
with FCFS discipline
 What average number in line can be expected?

Lq = 2/(- )
Average number waiting in line=
(arrival rate)2/service rate(service
rate arrival rate)
102/12(12-10)
4.17
4 customers can be expected
 What average number of persons can be expected in the system?

Ls = /-
Average number in system= arrival
rate/(service rate arrival rate)
10/12-10
5 customers can be expected
 What is the average amount of time that a person can expect to
spend in line?

Wq = Lq/
Average time waiting in line =
average number waiting in
line/arrival rate
4.17/10
0.417 hour
~25 minutes (25.02)
 On the average, how much time will it take to measure a persons
blood pressure, including waiting time?

Ws = Ls/
Average total time in the system =
Average number in system/arrival
rate
5/10
0.5 hours
30 minutes
On weekends, the arrival rate can be expected to over 12 per hour.
What effect will this have on the number in the waiting line?

At 10 per hour:
Lq = 102/12(12-10) = 4.17
Using ratio and proportion:
(10/4.17)(12/x)
5 customers
The number on the waiting line
would increase by 1.
 Problem #10
L. Winston Martin (an allergist in Tucson) has an excellent
system for handling his regular patients who come in just
for allergy injections. Patients arrive for an injection and fill
out a name slip, which is then placed in an open slot that
passes into another room staffed by one or two nurses. The
specific injections for a patient are prepared, and the
patient is called through a speaker system into the room to
receive the injection. At certain times during the day,
patient load drops and only one more nurse is needed to
administer the injections
Lets focus on the simpler case of the two namely, when
there is one nurse. Also, assume the patients arrive in a
Poisson fashion and the service rate of the nurse is
exponentially distributed. During this slower period,
patients arrive with an interarrival time of approximately
three minutes. It takes the nurse an average of two minutes
to prepare the patients serum and administer the injection
What is the average number you would expect to see in Dr. Martins
facility

Ls = /-
Average number in system= arrival
rate/(service rate arrival rate)
20/30-20
2 customers
How long would it take for a patient to arrive, get an injection, and
leave?

Ws = Ls/
Average total time in the system =
Average number in system/arrival
rate
2/20
0.1 hour or 6 minutes
 What is the probability that there will be three or more patients on
the premises

Pn = (1 (/))(/)n
Probability of exactly n units in the
system = (1 (arrival rate/service
rate)) (arrival rate/service rate)average
number of units in queuing system
 Pn = (1 (/))(/)n

At n= 0, P0
(1- (20/30))(20/30)0 = 0.34
At n = 1, 2 and 3 respectively
(1- (20/30))(20/30)1 = 0.22
(1- (20/30))(20/30)2 = 0.15
(1- (20/30))(20/30)3 = 0.1
TP = 0.22 + 0.15 +0.1 = 0.47
1-0.47 = 0.53
0.53 or 53 %
 What is the utilization of the nurse?

= /
Ratio of total arrival rate to service
rate for a single server = arrival
rate/service rate
20/30
67%
 Assume three nurses are available. Each takes an average of two
minutes to prepare the patients serum and administer the injection.
What is the average total time of a patient in the system?

Lq = 202/30(30- 20)
1.34
Wq = Lq/
.06 hour or 4 minutes
3 nurses at an average time of two
minutes = 6 minutes
6-4
2 minutes average total time