A university is considering setting up an information desk manned by one employee. Based on information obtained from similar information desks, it is believed that people will arrive at the desk at the rate of 18 per hour.   It takes an average of 2 minutes to answer a question.   It is assumed that arrivals are Poisson and answer times are exponentially distributed.   What is the arrival rate? (Include the units.) What is the service rate? (Include the units.) Find the probability that the employee is idle.

A First Course in Probability (10th Edition)
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ISBN:9780134753119
Author:Sheldon Ross
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Chapter1: Combinatorial Analysis
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Problem 1.1P: a. How many different 7-place license plates are possible if the first 2 places are for letters and...
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A university is considering setting up an information desk manned by one employee. Based on information obtained from similar information desks, it is believed that people will arrive at the desk at the rate of 18 per hour.   It takes an average of 2 minutes to answer a question.   It is assumed that arrivals are Poisson and answer times are exponentially distributed.

 

  1. What is the arrival rate? (Include the units.)
  2. What is the service rate? (Include the units.)
  3. Find the probability that the employee is idle.
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