Question 1

The Poisson probability distribution is used in waiting line management when one is interested in the number of arrivals to a queue during some fixed time period.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The Poisson probability distribution is commonly used in waiting line management to model the number of arrivals to a queue during a fixed time period.

Question 2

The demand on a hospital's emergency medical services is considered a controllable arrival pattern of the calling population.

Accepted Answer

The demand on a hospital's emergency medical services is not considered a controllable arrival pattern of the calling population. It is usually influenced by various factors such as accidents, illnesses, and emergencies, which are not under the control of the hospital or the calling population.

Question 3

A constant arrival rate is more common in productive systems than a variable arrival rate.

Accepted Answer

In most productive systems, the arrival rate can vary based on factors such as time of day, day of the week, seasonality, and demand fluctuations. This variability should be taken into account when designing and managing such systems.

Question 4

Arrival characteristics in a queuing problem analysis include the length of the queue.

Accepted Answer

Arrival characteristics in a queuing problem analysis typically include the distribution of inter-arrival times (e.g., Poisson distribution) and the arrival rate, not the length of the queue. The length of the queue is an outcome of the queuing process, influenced by both arrival and service characteristics.

Question 5

An infinite population in waiting line management refers to a population that is large enough in relation to the service system so that the change in population size caused by subtractions or additions to the population does not significantly affect the system probabilities.

Accepted Answer

In an infinite population, the impact of subtractions or additions to the population on the system probabilities is negligible because the population is significantly larger than the service system.

Question 6

The admissions system in a hospital for patients is an example of a single-channel, single-phase queuing system.

Accepted Answer

A hospital admissions system typically involves multiple channels (e.g., different staff members handling admissions) and possibly multiple phases (e.g., initial check-in, triage, and room assignment), making it a multi-channel, multi-phase system.

Question 7

Gas stations, loading docks, and parking lots have infinite potential length of lines for their respective queuing systems.

Accepted Answer

These locations have physical and operational constraints that limit the length of lines, such as space availability, safety regulations, and efficiency considerations.

Question 8

The demand on a hospital's emergency medical services is considered an uncontrollable arrival pattern of the calling population.

Accepted Answer

The demand on a hospital's emergency medical services is considered an uncontrollable arrival pattern because the hospital has no control over when or how many patients will arrive needing emergency medical attention. It is dependent on the needs and behaviors of the community it serves.

Question 9

The customer arrivals in a queuing system come almost exclusively from infinite populations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The customer arrivals in a queuing system...

Question 10

Highest-profit customer first is a queue discipline discussed in the textbook.

Accepted Answer

The highest-profit customer first is a queue discipline discussed in the textbook.

Question 11

The customer arrivals in a queuing system come almost exclusively from finite populations.

Accepted Answer

Customer arrivals in a queuing system can come from either finite or infinite populations, depending on the context. Many models assume an infinite population for simplicity and because it often closely approximates real-world scenarios where the number of potential customers is very large and not effectively limited.

Question 12

A finite population in waiting line management refers to a population that is large enough in relation to the service system so that the change in population size caused by subtractions or additions to the population does not significantly affect the system probabilities.

Accepted Answer

A finite population in waiting line management refers to a population that is limited in size, such that the change in population size caused by subtractions or additions significantly affects the system probabilities, as opposed to an infinite population where the size is large enough that changes do not significantly affect the system.

Question 13

Longest waiting time in line is a queue discipline discussed in the textbook.

Accepted Answer

The concept of longest waiting time in line is indeed discussed in the textbook as a queue discipline.

Question 14

Ideally, in waiting line or queuing analysis, we want to balance the cost of service capacity with the cost of waiting.

Accepted Answer

This is because if we have too few service resources, customers will have to wait longer and this waiting time can negatively impact the customer experience and the perception of the organization. On the other hand, if we have too much service capacity, we may be providing more service than necessary and incurring unnecessary costs that could have been used elsewhere. Thus, finding the balance between service capacity and waiting time is important in optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the queueing system.

Question 15

A variable arrival rate is more common in waiting line management than a constant arrival rate.

Accepted Answer

Variable arrival rates are more common in waiting line management as customers may arrive randomly or during peak hours. This variability makes it more challenging to manage waiting lines effectively.

Question 16

A tellers' window in a bank is an example of a single-channel, multiphase queuing system.

Accepted Answer

A tellers' window in a bank typically represents a single-channel, single-phase queuing system, where there is one service point (channel) and one type of service (phase) being offered.

Question 17

A car wash is an example of a single-channel, multiphase queuing system.

Accepted Answer

A car wash typically has a single line of cars waiting to enter the wash bay, but there are multiple steps or phases involved in the process (such as prepping the car, applying soap, rinsing, etc.), which makes it a multiphase queuing system.

Question 18

There are different queuing models to fit different queuing situations.

Accepted Answer

Different queuing situations require different mathematical models to accurately represent and analyze the queuing system. Therefore, there are different queuing models available to fit different queuing situations.

Question 19

Best customer last is a queue discipline discussed in the textbook.

Accepted Answer

"Best customer last" is not a standard queue discipline discussed in textbooks; common disciplines include First-In-First-Out (FIFO), Last-In-First-Out (LIFO), and priority queuing, but "best customer last" is not a recognized standard method.

Question 20

In a practical sense, an infinite queue is one that includes every possible member of the served population.

Accepted Answer

An infinite queue refers to a queue that has an unlimited capacity for holding entities waiting for service, not necessarily including every possible member of the served population.

Quiz 10: Waiting Line Analysis and Simulation