Question

To support National Heart Week, Mercy Hospital plans to run a free blood pressure screening clinic at a local mall next Saturday. The clinic will consist of several technicians sitting at a long table each taking the blood pressure of individuals with a sphygmomanometer and handing out literature on cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure measurements and counseling with the literature will take on average 4.5 minutes per person. The coordinator of the event expects on Saturday to have an average of 75 people per hour join the single line of this multi-server system to have their blood pressure taken. However, previous experience has shown that this rate will decrease because passers-by will not join a blood pressure screening line if more than 2 people are already waiting. That is, if more than 2 people are waiting in line significant balking is expected. If the coordinator assigns 7 technicians to the screening clinic and arranges the event as a multi-server queuing system, what is the probability that balking will occur?

Answer 1