3 ms·
There is this Erlang unit, for the number of simultaneous calls a telecommunication system can handle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_(unit) https://en.w
by smingo 5y ago
There is this Erlang unit, for the number of simultaneous calls a telecommunication system can handle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_(unit) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_(unit) It's dimensionless, because it multiplies the rate that calls are initiated by the average length of a call: 'calls / second' by 'seconds / call'. Dimensionless.
But that makes little sense - we're measuring the number of simultaneous calls. It gets reflected in buffers, circuits, sockets, channels allocated, etc.
It would be better to consider 'call starts / second' as the rate at which calls are initiated, and the average 'call.seconds / call start', which when multiplies gives the more sensible unit 'call'.
Or simpler: just measure the average length in seconds. So we have so many 'calls / second' initiated, and the average length is so many 'seconds', which when multiplied again gives a unit of 'call'.
- beerandt 5y agoYou don't have to always reduce units if it makes sense not to. Like saying a foundation footing has 27-ft^3/ft of concrete.
- resonantjacket5 5y agoAgreed, though I'd interpret it slightly different. Like if I said 100 cars per hour and each car needs 30 seconds of spacing per car the units don't cancel out because they are physically taking up space for the "30 seconds of spacing per car." I'd say the same applies in this case. It'd be more "calls/sec" times "active phone * sec/calls". Though I guess for "call" in your case or "active phone" the industry has chosen 'Erlang' a bit recursively.