Waiting-Time Paradox in 1922

Authors

Naoki Masuda, University at BuffaloFollow
Takayuki Hiraoka, Aalto UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Naoki Masuda:

0000-0003-1567-801X

Takayuki Hiraoka:

0000-0001-7016-8560

DOI

10.22191/nejcs/vol2/iss1/1

Abstract

We present an English translation and discussion of an essay that a Japanese physicist, Torahiko Terada, wrote in 1922. In the essay, he described the waiting-time paradox, also called the bus paradox, which is a known mathematical phenomenon in queuing theory, stochastic processes, and modern temporal network analysis. He also observed and analyzed data on Tokyo City trams to verify the relevance of the waiting-time paradox to busy passengers in Tokyo at the time. This essay seems to be one of the earliest documentations of the waiting-time paradox in a sufficiently scientific manner.

Recommended Citation

Masuda, Naoki and Hiraoka, Takayuki (2020) "Waiting-Time Paradox in 1922," Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS): Vol. 2 : No. 1 , Article 1.
DOI: 10.22191/nejcs/vol2/iss1/1
Available at: https://orb.binghamton.edu/nejcs/vol2/iss1/1