Final answer:
To determine the cash received from customers, subtract the decrease in accounts receivable from the reported sales revenue.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the amount of cash received from customers during 2016, we need to consider the changes in accounts receivable. Accounts receivable is an asset account that represents the amount of money owed to the company by its customers.
At the beginning of the year, the balance in accounts receivable was $50,000. This means that $50,000 of sales revenue from previous periods had not yet been collected.
During 2016, Colt reported sales revenue of $500,000. However, we need to take into account the decrease in accounts receivable from $50,000 to $40,000. This means that $10,000 was collected from customers and reflected in the decrease in accounts receivable. Therefore, the amount of cash received from customers during 2016 was $500,000 - $10,000 = $490,000.