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A hotel pays the phone company $200 per month plus $0.35 for each call made. During January 6,000 calls were made. In February 4,000 calls were made. 4. What is the marginal cost of one additional phone call in January?

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a. Calculate the hotel's phone bills for January and February.

January

Total Cost = Fixed Cost + Variable Cost

Total Cost = $200 + $0.30 x calls

Total Cost = $200 + $0.30 x 10,000

Total Cost = $200 + $3,000

Total Cost = $3,200

February

Total Cost = Fixed Cost + Variable Cost

Total Cost = $200 + $0.30 x calls

Total Cost = $200 + $0.30 x 8,000

Total Cost = $200 + $2,400

Total Cost = $2,600

b. Calculate the cost per phone call in January and in February.

January

Cost per Call = Total Cost / Total Calls

Cost per Call = $3,200 / 10,000 calls

Cost per Call = $0.32 per call

February

Cost per Call = Total Cost / Total Calls

Cost per Call = $2,600 / 8,000 calls

Cost per Call = $0.325 per call

c. Separate the January phone bill into its fixed and variable components.

January

The fixed component is equal to $200 regardless of the total number of calls. The variable cost, therefore, is equal to the remaining $3,000 ($3,200 total - $200 fixed).

February

The fixed component is equal to $200 regardless of the total number of calls. The variable cost, therefore, is equal to the remaining $2,400 ($2,600 total - $200 fixed).

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