Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / ii / Paper 3 / 27J / c / Solution

For an M-M-1 queue, the first service lasts on average $1/\mu$. During it, the mean number of arrivals is $\lambda /\mu$, and each arrival initiates another statistically identical busy-period family. Thus, when $\lambda <\mu$,so the mean busy period of an M-M-1 queue isFor $\lambda =\mu$ the busy period is almost surely finite but has infinite mean, while for $\lambda >\mu$ it is infinite with positive probability; in either case its expectation is infinite.

For an M-M-infinity queue, stationary occupancy is Poisson with mean $\rho =\lambda /\mu$, so the long-run probability of an empty system isThe process alternates between idle periods and busy periods. An idle period waits for the next Poisson arrival, so its mean is $1/\lambda$. The renewal-reward theorem, with reward equal to time spent empty, givesSolving yields the mean busy period of an M-M-infinity queue:

Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.