Queueing theory

<p>Queueing theory is the mathematical study of <a href="/facts/Queue_area/eMfW0LCb">waiting lines</a>, or queues. A queueing model is constructed so that queue lengths and waiting time can be predicted. Queueing theory is generally considered a branch of <a href="/facts/Operations_research/H5yJkV5n">operations research</a> because the results are often used when making business decisions about the resources needed to provide a service.
</p><p>Queueing theory has its origins in research by <a href="/facts/Agner_Krarup_Erlang/WswurAKU">Agner Krarup Erlang</a>, who created models to describe the system of incoming calls at the Copenhagen Telephone Exchange Company. These ideas were seminal to the field of <a href="/facts/Teletraffic_engineering/vTKnPRfs">teletraffic engineering</a> and have since seen applications in <a href="/facts/Telecommunications/vxoj1cxR">telecommunications</a>, <a href="/facts/Traffic_engineering_(transportation)/fWW0DgzW">traffic engineering</a>, <a href="/facts/Computing/Kghtm9fX">computing</a>, <a href="/facts/Project_management/JgQVSU3o">project management</a>, and particularly <a href="/facts/Industrial_engineering/TjInYQeC">industrial engineering</a>, where they are applied in the design of factories, shops, offices, and hospitals.
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Queueing theory open-in-new

Queueing theory