A queue in the theater is a line of people waiting to buy tickets or enter the theater.
Computing
In queue theory, a queue is a collection of entities waiting to be processed. The entities in a queue are typically people, data, or requests for service. Queues can be served by a single server or multiple servers. The time that an entity spends in a queue is called the waiting time.
Queues can be classified into two main types:
First-in, first-out (FIFO) queues: In a FIFO queue, the entities that arrive first are the first to be served.
Last-in, first-out (LIFO) queues: In a LIFO queue, the entities that arrive last are the first to be served.
Queues are used in a variety of applications, including:
Customer service: Queues are used to manage customer requests for service. For example, a bank may use a queue to manage customers waiting to be served by a teller.
Manufacturing: Queues are used to manage the flow of materials and parts through a manufacturing process. For example, a factory may use a queue to manage the parts waiting to be assembled into a product.
Transportation: Queues are used to manage the flow of traffic. For example, a traffic light may use a queue to manage the cars waiting to pass through an intersection.
Computer science: Queues are used to manage the flow of data and requests for service in a computer system. For example, a web server may use a queue to manage the requests for web pages from clients.