2 KiB
| type | domain | description | confidence | source | created |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| claim | internet-finance | Little's Law calculates theoretical minimum capacity but real systems need additional buffer to handle traffic variance | proven | Dan Slimmon, 'Using Little's Law to Scale Applications' (2022-06-07) | 2026-03-11 |
Little's Law provides minimum worker capacity floor for pipeline systems but requires buffer margin for variance
Little's Law (L = λW) gives the theoretical minimum capacity needed for a queueing system: total workers ≥ (arrival rate) × (average processing time). For example, 1000 requests/second with 0.34s average processing time requires 340 concurrent workers minimum.
However, this formula only provides long-term averages. Real systems experience variance in both arrival rates and processing times, meaning the theoretical minimum is insufficient. Production systems need buffer capacity above the Little's Law floor to handle bursts without queue buildup.
The formula is valuable as a capacity planning baseline — it tells you the floor, not the ceiling. Practitioners use it to calculate the minimum viable worker pool, then add margin based on observed variance patterns.
Evidence
- Slimmon's practical example: 1000 req/s × 0.34s = 340 concurrent requests, demonstrating the calculation
- Explicit caveat: "Little's Law gives long-term averages only — real systems need buffer capacity beyond the theoretical minimum"
- Application to Teleo pipeline: 8 sources per 5-min cycle, 10-15 min processing time → L = (8/300s) × 750s ≈ 20 sources in-flight at steady state
Relationship to Pipeline Architecture
This principle applies directly to agent-based processing pipelines where work items (sources, claims, evaluations) arrive at variable rates and require variable processing time. The law provides the mathematical foundation for worker pool sizing, but operational reliability requires adding safety margin through mechanisms like the square-root staffing rule.
Relevant Notes:
- domains/internet-finance/_map
Topics:
- core/mechanisms/_map