What is the Coin Game?
The Coin Game demonstrates how batch size affects throughput and customer wait time. Coins travel through 5 workers in sequence — each worker flips every coin before passing the batch to the next.
The Workers
Workers 1, 2, 4, and 5 are automated. Worker 3 is you — click each coin to flip it, then move the batch when done.
Batch Size
Select a batch size before starting. The batch size controls how many coins each worker flips before passing them on. The game runs four rounds automatically: Batch 20 → Batch 10 → Batch 5 → Batch 2. Watch how smaller batches reduce the customer wait time.
Push vs Pull
- Push — each worker passes coins downstream as soon as a batch is complete, regardless of whether the next worker is ready.
- Pull — a worker waits until the downstream worker has cleared their coins before pushing. This limits work-in-progress and reduces queuing.
Results Table
After each round, the table records each worker's processing time (first flip to last flip) and the overall customer time (from Worker 1's first flip to Worker 5's last flip).
Controls
- Start Game — begins the current round.
- Reset Game — clears everything and starts fresh from Batch 20.
