Solved on Mar 06, 2024

Write a function to model exponential decay. Given a car costing $55,800 that depreciates 16% annually, find its value next year.

STEP 1

Assumptions
1. The initial cost of the family car is $55,800.
2. The annual depreciation rate is 16%.
3. The car was purchased 3 years ago.
4. The value of the car decreases exponentially.
5. We are interested in the value of the car 1 year from now, which is 4 years after the purchase.

STEP 2

To model the exponential decay of the car's value, we use the formula for exponential decay:
V(t)=V0(1r)tV(t) = V_0 \cdot (1 - r)^t
where: - V(t)V(t) is the value of the car at time tt, - V0V_0 is the initial value of the car, - rr is the annual depreciation rate (as a decimal), - tt is the time in years since the car was purchased.

STEP 3

Convert the annual depreciation rate from a percentage to a decimal.
16%=0.1616\% = 0.16

STEP 4

Substitute the given values into the exponential decay formula:
V(t)=$55,800(10.16)tV(t) = \$55,800 \cdot (1 - 0.16)^t

STEP 5

Since we want to find the value of the car next year, which is 4 years after the purchase, we set t=4t = 4.
V(4)=$55,800(10.16)4V(4) = \$55,800 \cdot (1 - 0.16)^4

STEP 6

Calculate the value inside the parentheses:
10.16=0.841 - 0.16 = 0.84

STEP 7

Raise 0.84 to the power of 4 to find the decay factor after 4 years:
(0.84)4(0.84)^4

STEP 8

Calculate the decay factor:
(0.84)40.49787136(0.84)^4 \approx 0.49787136

STEP 9

Multiply the initial value of the car by the decay factor to find the value of the car after 4 years:
V(4)=$55,8000.49787136V(4) = \$55,800 \cdot 0.49787136

STEP 10

Calculate the value of the car after 4 years:
V(4)$55,8000.49787136$27,779.24V(4) \approx \$55,800 \cdot 0.49787136 \approx \$27,779.24
The car will be worth approximately $27,779.24 next year.

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