An engineering firm retains a technical specialist to assist four design engineers working on a project. The help that the specialist gives engineers ranges widely in time consumption. The specialist has some answers available in memory, others require computation, and still others require significant search time. On average, each request for assistance takes the specialist one hour. The engineers require help from the specialist on the average of once each day. Because each assistance takes about an hour, each engineer can work for seven hours, on average, without assistance. One further point: Engineers needing help do not interrupt if the specialist is already involved with another problem. Treat this as a finite queuing problem and answer the following questions: a. How many engineers, on average, are waiting for the technical specialist for help? b. What is the average time an engineer has to wait for the specialist? c. What is the probability an engineer will have to wait in line for the specialist?

An engineering firm retains a technical specialist to assist four design engineers working on a project. The help that the specialist gives engineers ranges widely in time consumption. The specialist has some answers available in memory, others require computation, and still others require significant search time. On average, each request for assistance takes the specialist one hour. The engineers require help from the specialist on the average of once each day. Because each assistance takes about an hour, each engineer can work for seven hours, on average, without assistance. One further point: Engineers needing help do not interrupt if the specialist is already involved with another problem. Treat this as a finite queuing problem and answer the following questions: a. How many engineers, on average, are waiting for the technical specialist for help? b. What is the average time an engineer has to wait for the specialist? c. What is the probability an engineer will have to wait in line for the specialist?

Practical Management Science

6th Edition

ISBN:9781337406659

Author:WINSTON, Wayne L.

Publisher:WINSTON, Wayne L.

Chapter12: Queueing Models

Section12.5: Analytic Steady-state Queueing Models

Problem 12P

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An engineering i rm retains a technical specialist to assist four design engineers workingon a project. The help that the specialist gives engineers ranges widely in time consumption.The specialist has some answers available in memory, others require computation,and still others require signii cant search time. On the average, each request for assistancetakes the specialist one hour.The engineers require help from the specialist on the average of once each day. Becauseeach assistance takes about an hour, each engineer can work for seven hours, on the average,without assistance. One further point: Engineers needing help do not interrupt if thespecialist is already involved with another problem.Treat this as a i nite queuing problem and answer the following questions:a. How many engineers, on average, are waiting for the technical specialist for help?b. What is the average time that an engineer has to wait for the specialist?c. What is the probability that an engineer will have to wait…
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