Final Answer:
Each person in Mary's family pays $48.9975 per month for the cell phone plan when splitting the cost equally.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mary's family incurs a monthly cost of $195.99 for their cell phone plan. To determine the amount each person contributes, you divide the total cost by the number of individuals sharing the expense. In this case, the calculation is as follows:
[ text{Cost per person} = frac{text{Total cost}}{text{Number of people}} ]
Substituting the given values:
[ text{Cost per person} = frac{$195.99}{4} ]
Performing the calculation:
[ text{Cost per person} = $48.9975 ]
Therefore, each member of Mary's family contributes approximately $48.9975 towards the monthly cell phone plan.
It's important to divide the total cost evenly among the individuals to ensure a fair distribution of expenses. In this scenario, with four people in the family, splitting the $195.99 equally results in a reasonable contribution of approximately $48.9975 per person. This approach promotes financial fairness among family members, making it a practical and equitable way to share the costs of a shared service like a cell phone plan.