Explanation:
To determine when the franchise will begin to show a profit, we need to find the values of t for which the profitability function P(t) is positive.
P(t) = t^4 - 9t^3 + 24t^2 - 20t
To find the values of t for which P(t) > 0, we need to solve the inequality:
t^4 - 9t^3 + 24t^2 - 20t > 0
We can factor out t to simplify the inequality:
t(t^3 - 9t^2 + 24t - 20) > 0
Now, we can see that t = 0 is a solution to the inequality. To find the other solutions, we can factor the cubic expression inside the parentheses:
t(t - 2)(t - 2)(t - 5) > 0
The solutions to this inequality are t = 0, t = 2, and t = 5.
Therefore, the franchise will begin to show a profit after 2 months.
So the correct answer is c) 2 months.