Queuing theory is the mathematical analysis of waiting in line. The line might involve data waiting for processing, equipment parts waiting in an assembly line or people waiting in line at various ...

“We can use some fancy math to predict how long the line will get,” Keely Croxton of Ohio State says, then apply it to related problems. In response to a listener request, “Marketplace” host Kai ...

I was at the store the other day to pick up a few items. I found what I wanted and walked to the front checkout counters. There I found a long line of people waiting to be checked out. I had spent a ...

Queueing theory provides a robust mathematical framework for analysing waiting lines, a critical aspect across sectors ranging from telecommunications and healthcare to manufacturing and ...

The study of how systems with limited resources distribute those resources to elements waiting in line, and how those elements respond. Examples include data traversing computer networks, phone calls ...

Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Suzanne is a content marketer, writer, and ...

Markov chains and queueing theory together provide a robust framework for analysing systems that evolve randomly over time. Markov chains describe stochastic processes where the future state depends ...

We’ve all been there. While grasping a stack of toilet paper and a carton of milk in the grocery store’s express lane, you glance to your right and see that other customers with cart-loads of produce ...

Let’s say you and your roommate have a little side business baking rhubarb pies at home and selling them on a street corner. Folks love pie, and you’re having trouble keeping up with demand. But you ...