Queueing theory

A queue is a waiting line (like customers waiting at a supermarket checkout counter); queueing theory is the mathematical theory of waiting lines. More generally, queueing theory is concerned with the mathematical modeling and analysis of systems that provide service to random demands. A queueing model is an abstract description of such a system. Typically, a queueing model represents (1) the system's physical configuration, by specifying the number and arrangement of the servers, which provide service to the customers, and (2) the stochastic (that is, probabilistic or statistical) nature of the demands, by specifying the variability in the arrival process and in the service process.