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OR FORUM---Little's Law as Viewed on Its 50th Anniversary

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  • John D. C. Little

    (MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139)

Abstract

Fifty years ago, the author published a paper in Operations Research with the title, “A proof for the queuing formula: L = (lambda)W ” [Little, J. D. C. 1961. A proof for the queuing formula: L = (lambda)W . Oper. Res. 9 (3) 383--387]. Over the years, L = (lambda)W has become widely known as “Little's Law.” Basically, it is a theorem in queuing theory. It has become well known because of its theoretical and practical importance. We report key developments in both areas with the emphasis on practice. In the latter, we collect new material and search for insights on the use of Little's Law within the fields of operations management and computer architecture.

Suggested Citation

  • John D. C. Little, 2011. "OR FORUM---Little's Law as Viewed on Its 50th Anniversary," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 59(3), pages 536-549, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:oropre:v:59:y:2011:i:3:p:536-549
    DOI: 10.1287/opre.1110.0940
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shaler Stidham, 2002. "Analysis, Design, and Control of Queueing Systems," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 50(1), pages 197-216, February.
    2. Dimitris Bertsimas & Daisuke Nakazato, 1995. "The Distributional Little's Law and Its Applications," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 43(2), pages 298-310, April.
    3. John D. C. Little, 1961. "A Proof for the Queuing Formula: L = (lambda) W," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 9(3), pages 383-387, June.
    4. Daniel P. Heyman & Shaler Stidham, 1980. "The Relation between Customer and Time Averages in Queues," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 983-994, August.
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