Answer: To determine the number of years it will take for Mark and Tricia's business to become profitable, we need to find the point at which their revenue exceeds their operating costs. We can set their annual revenue equal to their annual operating costs and solve for b:
10000b = 8000 + 6000b
4000b = 8000
b = 2
Therefore, it will take 2 years for their business to become profitable, assuming their revenue continues to increase at a constant rate and their operating costs remain the same.
Explanation: To determine the number of years it will take for Mark and Tricia's business to become profitable, we need to find the point at which their revenue exceeds their operating costs. We can set their annual revenue equal to their annual operating costs and solve for b:
10000b = 8000 + 6000b
4000b = 8000
b = 2
Therefore, it will take 2 years for their business to become profitable, assuming their revenue continues to increase at a constant rate and their operating costs remain the same.