Final answer:
The total expense recognized by the company as a result of the computer purchase on December 31 of the current year would be $1,000.
Step-by-step explanation:
The total expense recognized by the company as a result of the computer purchase on December 31 of the current year would be $1,000. This is because the company follows the concept of depreciation to allocate the cost of the computer over its useful life. Since the estimated life of the computer is 5 years, the annual depreciation expense would be $5,000 / 5 = $1,000.