Paper , Order, or Assignment Requirements

In the previous presidential elections in the United States, very long wait times have been witnessed at precincts (voting stations) in states that ultimately decided the election (Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004). In Cincinnati as well, some voters complained about the long lines in some precincts, with most complaints coming from precinct A. In 2004, the average number of voters arriving at Precinct A was of 35 per hour and the arrival of voters was random with inter-arrival times that had a coefficient of variation of 1 (ca=1). Cincinnati had deployed 1 voting machine in Precinct A. Suppose that each voter spent on average 100 seconds in the voting booth (this is the time needed to cast her/his vote using a voting machine), with a standard deviation of 120 seconds. Answer the following questions.

a. How long on average did a voter have to wait in line at precinct A in 2004 before entering in a booth to cast her/his vote? (Provide answer in minutes. Round to 2 digits.)

b. Given the long wait times for Precinct A, the city of Cincinnati considered alternative solutions to improve voting conditions. Proposal 1: Deploy an additional voting machine in precinct A. Assuming that the arrival rates and voting times (with their current variation) will be the same, under proposal 1, how long, on average, would a voter be expected to wait during the next presidential election? (Provide answers in minutes. Round to 2 decimals.)