1. Why do waiting lines form even though a service system is underloaded?

2. What are the most common measures of system performance in a queuing analysis?

3. What effect would decreasing arrival and service variability have on the effective capacity of a system?

4. What approaches do supermarkets use to offset variations in customer traffic intensity?

5. Contrast finite and infinite population sources.

6. Under what circumstances would a multiple-priority waiting system be appropriate?

7. In a multiple-channel system, what is the rationale for having customers wait in a single line, as is now being done in many banks and post offices, rather than multiple lines? (Hint: The average wait- ing time is unaffected.)

8. What happens to the length of a waiting line in a highly variable (queuing) setting if a manager attempts to achieve a high percentage of capacity utilization?

9. In what kinds of situations is queuing analysis most appropriate?