Laboratory exercises using a graphical user interface to a queueing simulator

The study of queueing systems presents mathematical barriers to the novice, although the phenomena of queues can be readily observed in everyday life. In addition, English-speaking faculty have language barriers to surmount with Japanese students. This paper describes a graphical user interface to allow quick and easy comprehension of the dynamical behavior of queues. The interface is implemented using Tcl/Tk, a high-level Window programming script language that allows for the rapid development of educational software. An outline is presented for a set of exercises for a lower division laboratory. This material is also appropriate for laboratories associated with courses in operating systems, queueing systems, and performance evaluation.