Queueing theory
Mathematical study of waiting lines, or queues / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Queueing theory is the mathematical study of waiting lines, or queues.[1] A queueing model is constructed so that queue lengths and waiting time can be predicted.[1] Queueing theory is generally considered a branch of operations research because the results are often used when making business decisions about the resources needed to provide a service.
Queueing theory has its origins in research by Agner Krarup Erlang, who created models to describe the system of incoming calls at the Copenhagen Telephone Exchange Company.[1] These ideas were seminal to the field of teletraffic engineering and have since seen applications in telecommunication, traffic engineering, computing,[2] project management, and particularly industrial engineering, where they are applied in the design of factories, shops, offices, and hospitals.[3][4]