Students Arrive Randomly at the Help Desk of the Computer

question 87

Multiple Choice

Students arrive randomly at the help desk of the computer lab. There is only one service agent, and the time required for inquiry varies from student to student. Arrival rates have been found to follow the Poisson distribution, and the service times follow the negative exponential distribution. The average arrival rate is 12 students per hour, and the average service rate is 20 students per hour. How many students, on the average, will be waiting in line at any one time?

• A) 0.9 students
• B) 1.5 students
• C) 3 students
• D) 4 students
• E) 36 students

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Definitions:

Operating Activities

Business activities directly related to the production, sale, and delivery of a company's products or services, generating the majority of its revenue and expenses.

Cash Dividends

Cash dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholders, usually as a distribution of profits.

Free Cash Flow

A measure of financial performance calculated as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures, representing the cash that a company is able to generate after spending the money required to maintain or expand its asset base.

Capital Expenditures

Funds used by a company to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets such as property, plants, buildings, technology, or equipment.