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Session 2420

A Student-Designed Interactive Simulator for the Study of Queuing Theory and Other Applicationsi

Jamielynn Savino, William Stefanko, Gordon Silverman Electrical and Computer Engineering Manhattan College Riverdale, New York, 10471

Abstract

Queuing theory relates to the study of process congestion. Where engineering programs do not have provision for a focused study of such problems, an interactive simulator can convey the basic concepts without extraordinary or extended explanations. A “customer-centered” queuing simulator can be used in a range of engineering courses and a variety of engineering disciplines. A simple study is provided as an example.

Introduction

Commonly accepted definitions of queuing theory relate to the theoretical study of waiting lines, expressed in mathematical terms. (Examples of such studies come from transportation and/or infrastructure (e.g., client/server traffic for an internet service provider).) In short, queuing arises from mathematical analysis to describe “production” processes along with statistical/probabilistic techniques to account for varying dynamic patterns in a productive process. The problems encountered – those that occasioned the development of such theory – are simply referred to as “congestion” problems or what happens when a system does not operate smoothly or efficiently. Queuing analysis is directly applicable to network telecommunications, server queuing, mainframe computer queuing of telecommunications terminals, and advanced telecommunication systems. There are numerous software simulation tools for discrete event simulation. (1) These have origins in FORTRAN or PASCAL subroutine libraries (1980s) but newer tools include GPSS, SimScript, and CSL, to name a few. (2)

Undergraduate engineering programs normally do not have provision for queuing theory as a separate course. This is true for several reasons:

• It requires a specialized mathematical curriculum development; • Students are required to spend time learning the commercial software tools before they can obtain meaningful results which limits appreciation of the underlying problems; • It may not contribute to program objectives (or outcomes) in a direct and obvious manner.

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Silverman, G. (2004, June), Student Designed Interactive Simulator For The Study Of Queuing Theory And Other Applications Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13944