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Based on her past experiences, a homeowner estimates that appliances lose 28.5% of their resale value each year. if her estimate is accurate, how much will an appliance currently valued at $2,740 be worth in 10 years?

User Dycey
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Using the formula for exponential decay V = P(1 - r)^t, where P is the present value of the appliance ($2,740), r is the depreciation rate (28.5% or 0.285), and t is the time in years (10), the appliance's value after 10 years is approximately $157.01.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the value of an appliance after 10 years with an annual depreciation rate of 28.5%, we can use the formula for exponential decay. The formula is V = P(1 - r)^t, where V is the future value of the appliance, P is the present value, r is the rate of depreciation (expressed as a decimal), and t is the time in years.

The present value of the appliance is $2,740. The depreciation rate per year is 28.5%, which as a decimal is 0.285. We want to find the value after 10 years. Plugging these into our formula, we get:

V = $2,740(1 - 0.285)^10

Calculating the value inside the parentheses first (1 - 0.285) gives us 0.715. Now we'll raise 0.715 to the power of 10:

V = $2,740(0.715)^10

Calculating 0.715 to the power of 10 gives us approximately 0.0573. Finally, we multiply this by the present value:

V = $2,740 × 0.0573 ≈ $157.01

Therefore, if the homeowner's estimate of the annual depreciation rate is accurate, the appliance currently valued at $2,740 will be worth approximately $157.01 in 10 years.

User Mosg
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