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What do we mean when we talk about a finite-source situation? Give an example.
When the potential number of customers is limited, example: customer call center
For which system do we use the following formulas?
single-line, multiserver, single-phase
Which negative implications do waiting lines have for customers?
Customer dissatisfaction, loss in profits, loss in reputation...
Which property must be fulfilled to get a feasible answer?
The service rate must be greater than the arrival rate
Mention two advantages of building a simulation model over experimenting with your system directly
Cost-effective, risk-free, allows to compress/expand time to analyse long-term, flexibility, reduced disruption, enhanced decision-making, handling complexity, etc.
What do we call the following system? Where can we encounter it in real life?
single-line, multi-server, single-phase
What do we want to find out with the following formula?
The probability that n customers are in the service system at a given time
What happens to our average utilization when we increase the number of cashiers?
The average utilization decreases
What are the assumptions for a single-server, single-line, single-phase system? Name at least 2
Customers are patient, customer arrival rate follows a Poisson distribution with mean lambda, customer service rate follows an exponential distribution with mean mu, the order is first-come-first-serve
What is the system boundary?
The boundary between the system and its environment, it defines the limits of what is included and excluded in the simulation model
In a discrete event simulation, everything is centered around the notion of "events". Explain what an event is (in the context of discrete event simulation) and give a clear example to illustrate your answer.
An event is something that happens at an instant of (simulated) time that might change attributes, variables, or one of our performance measures (also denoted as statistical accumulators. (e.g. customer arrivals --> it alters queue length, potentially triggering another event's start).
How do you calculate the probability that two or more customers are in the system at a given time?
1-P(N=0)+P(N=1)