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 (use integers or fractions for any numbers in the equation.) e. what is the horizontal intercept for this function? select the correct choice below and, if necessary, fill in the answer box in your choice. a. the horizontal intercept is (32,0). (type an ordered pair.) b. there is no horizontal intercept. what is its practical meaning of the horizontal intercept in this situation? select the correct choice below and, if necessary, fill in the answer box in your choice. a. the maximum number of washers that the person can purchase is b. the minimum number of washers that the person can purchase is c. the person cannot purchase any washers. d. the person can purchase as many washers as he wants.

Explanation:

Step1: Define the budget - cost relationship

Let $x$ be the number of washers and $y$ be the number of dryers. The budget equation is $250x + 200y=8000$. To find the horizontal intercept, we set $y = 0$ (because on the x - axis, $y=0$).

Step2: Solve for $x$ when $y = 0$

When $y = 0$, the equation becomes $250x=8000$. Then $x=\frac{8000}{250}=32$. So the horizontal intercept is the point $(32,0)$.

Step3: Interpret the horizontal - intercept

The horizontal intercept $(32,0)$ means that when the number of dryers purchased is 0, the maximum number of washers that can be purchased with a budget of $8000$ (since the cost of each washer is $250$) is 32.

Answer:

A. The horizontal intercept is $(32,0)$.
A. The maximum number of washers that the person can purchase is 32.