Final answer:
To determine the average number of calls waiting, the call arrival rate and average call handling time are required. Without this information, the calculation cannot be completed.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the average number of calls waiting to be answered at Lynn Ann Fish's hotel switchboard, we use the information that the probability the operator is busy is 0.38 and the average time callers wait is 0.15 minutes. The rate at which calls come in (call arrival rate) and the average handling time per call are needed to proceed with the calculation. However, these two pieces of information are missing from the question provided, which prevents us from computing an exact number for the average number of calls waiting.
We would typically use the formula L = λ*W, where λ is the call arrival rate (calls per minute) and W is the average waiting time (in minutes). Since we don't have λ, we cannot compute L, which is the average number of calls waiting.