Final answer:
To estimate the cost of producing the 5th unit of the item, substitute p = 5 into the cost function c(p) = 8p³ - 16p² + 4p + 72. The estimated cost is $692.
Step-by-step explanation:
To estimate the cost of producing the 5th unit of the item, we need to substitute p = 5 into the cost function c(p) = 8p³ - 16p² + 4p + 72. This will give us the cost in dollars as follows:
c(5) = 8(5)³ - 16(5)² + 4(5) + 72
c(5) = 8(125) - 16(25) + 20 + 72
c(5) = 1000 - 400 + 20 + 72
c(5) = 692
Therefore, the estimated cost to produce the 5th unit of the item is $692.