Question

a person is working in the purchasing department of an appliance retailer. this month he is stocking up on washers and dryers. his supervisor informs him that his budget this month is $8000. he knows that the average wholesale cost of a washer over the past year has been $250, while the average wholesale cost of a dryer has been $200. complete parts a through i.
a. the maximum number of dryers that the person can purchase is 40.
b. the minimum number of dryers that the person can purchase is
c. the person cannot purchase any dryers.
d. the person can purchase as many dryers as he wants.
g. what is the slope of this function? what is its significance in this situation? select the correct choice below and fill in the answer box to complete your choice.
a. the slope is. this means for every purchase of 5 washers, 4 more dryers can be purchased.
b. the slope is. this means for every purchase of 4 washers, 5 more dryers can be purchased.
c. the slope is. this means for every purchase of 5 washers, 4 fewer dryers can be purchased.
d. the slope is. this means for every purchase of 4 washers, 5 fewer dryers can be purchased.
e. the slope is zero. this means no washers or dryers can be purchased.

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate max dryers

If only dryers are purchased, divide budget by dryer cost. Budget is $8000 and dryer cost is $200. So number of dryers $n=\frac{8000}{200}$.
$n = 40$

Step2: Analyze slope

Let $x$ be number of washers and $y$ be number of dryers. The budget equation is $250x + 200y=8000$, which can be rewritten as $y =-\frac{250}{200}x+\frac{8000}{200}=-\frac{5}{4}x + 40$. The slope is $-\frac{5}{4}$. This means for every 4 washers purchased, 5 fewer dryers can be purchased.

Answer:

A. The maximum number of dryers that the person can purchase is 40
D. The slope is $-\frac{5}{4}$. This means for every purchase of 4 washers, 5 fewer dryers can be purchased.