For a system of components in series, where any single failure causes system failure, the overall failure rate is the sum of individual rates. The system’s MTBF is the reciprocal of this sum: [latex]MTBF_{system} = (\sum_{i=1}^{n} \lambda_i)^{-1} = (1/MTBF_1 + 1/MTBF_2 + … + 1/MTBF_n)^{-1}[/latex]. This implies the system’s MTBF is always less than the lowest individual component’s MTBF.
