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activities

in a CPM/PERT project network, the branches reflecting project operations

activity slack

in a CPM/PERT network, the amount of time that the start of an activity can be delayed without exceeding the critical path project time

adjusted exponential smoothing

the exponential smoothing forecasting technique adjusted for trend changes and seasonal patterns

analogue simulation

an original physical system is replaced with a analogous physical system that is easier to test and manipulate

analytical

containing or pertaining to mathematical analysis using formulas or equations

a priori probability

one of the two types of objective probabilities; given a set of outcomes for an activity, it is the ratio of the number of desired outcomes to the total number of outcomes

arrival rate

the number of arrivals at a service facility (within a queuing system) during a specified period of time

artificial variable

a variable that is added to an = or constraint so that initial solutions in a linear programming problem can be obtained at the origin

assignment model

a type of linear programming model similar to a transportation model, except that the supply at each source is limited to one unit and the demand at each destination is limited to one unit

average error

the cumulative error, averaged over the number of time periods