queuing theory

American  

noun

1. a theory that deals with providing a service on a waiting line, or queue, especially when the demand for it is irregular and describable by probability distributions, as processing phone calls arriving at a telephone exchange or collecting highway tolls from drivers at tollbooths.

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queuing theory British  

noun

1. a mathematical approach to the rate at which components queue to be processed by a machine, instructions are accessed by a computer, orders need to be serviced, etc, to achieve the optimum flow

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Etymology

Origin of queuing theory

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

So-called queuing theory examines why lining up by yourself induces more anxiety than being in a group, why choosing between multiple lines is more aggravating than standing single file and even how music and scent can improve the wait.

From New York Times

And they were influential in my career in two ways: One, Booz Allen tries to solve problems for clients using different disciplines; for instance, I spent some time using queuing theory to address pricing problems, especially in pricing digital products.

From Washington Post

Altogether, some people spend a year or two of their lives waiting in line, estimates Richard Larson, a professor who studies queuing theory at MIT.

From Washington Post

The science is known as queuing theory, and it was invented in 1909 by Danish physicist and mathematician A.K.

From Time

One of queuing theory’s later advances is something called Little’s Law, expressed as L = λW , where L is the expected number of users in a queuing system, W is expected time in queuing system per user, and λ is the arrival rate.

From Time