1. What Is Interarrival Time?

Interarrival Time (IAT) is the time difference between consecutive arrivals in a sequence of events. It is commonly used in queueing theory, traffic analysis, and service systems to measure the time between successive customer arrivals, packet arrivals in networks, or event occurrences.

2. How Does The Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the interarrival time formula:

Where:

• \( IAT \) — Interarrival Time (seconds)
• \( Arrival_{n} \) — Time of current arrival event
• \( Arrival_{n-1} \) — Time of previous arrival event

Explanation: The formula calculates the time gap between two consecutive arrivals by subtracting the timestamp of the previous arrival from the timestamp of the current arrival.

3. Importance Of Interarrival Time Calculation

Details: Interarrival time analysis is crucial for understanding arrival patterns, optimizing resource allocation, designing efficient service systems, and predicting system performance in various fields including telecommunications, transportation, and customer service.

4. Using The Calculator

Tips: Enter the arrival times in seconds for both current and previous events. Ensure that Arrival_n is greater than or equal to Arrival_{n-1} for meaningful results. All values must be non-negative.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is the difference between interarrival time and service time?
A: Interarrival time measures time between arrivals, while service time measures time taken to serve each arrival. Both are key parameters in queueing systems.

Q2: Can interarrival time be zero?
A: Yes, if two arrivals occur simultaneously, the interarrival time would be zero, indicating batch arrivals.

Q3: How is interarrival time used in Poisson processes?
A: In Poisson processes, interarrival times follow an exponential distribution, which is memoryless and has constant arrival rate.

Q4: What are typical applications of interarrival time analysis?
A: Used in call centers, network traffic analysis, manufacturing systems, healthcare scheduling, and transportation planning to optimize resource utilization.

Q5: How does interarrival time affect system performance?
A: Shorter interarrival times increase system load and may lead to longer queues, while longer interarrival times indicate lower system utilization.