Question

Difficulty: EasyFunction Evaluation, Composition, and Properties

A company's daily profit is modeled by the function P(x)=3x50P(x) = 3x - 50, where xx represents the number of items sold. The number of items sold depends on the number of hours the store is open, hh, according to the function x(h)=5hx(h) = 5h. What is the daily profit, in dollars, when the store is open for 88 hours?

  1. A
    -26
  2. B
    40
  3. 70Answer
  4. D
    120
  5. E
    170

Answer

70
Evaluating the composite function in the correct order, P(x(8))P(x(8)), yields 7070. First, find the number of items sold when the store is open for 8 hours: x(8)=5(8)=40x(8) = 5(8) = 40. Then, calculate the daily profit by substituting this output into the profit function: P(40)=3(40)50=12050=70P(40) = 3(40) - 50 = 120 - 50 = 70.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the number of items sold, xx, when the store is open for 88 hours by evaluating the function x(h)=5hx(h) = 5h at h=8h = 8.
x(8)=5×8=40x(8) = 5 \times 8 = 40 items.
The number of items sold is the input for the profit function.
2
Substitute the number of items sold (x=40x = 40) into the profit function P(x)=3x50P(x) = 3x - 50.
P(40)=3(40)50=12050=70P(40) = 3(40) - 50 = 120 - 50 = 70 dollars.
Evaluating the profit function at the given number of items sold determines the final daily profit.

Key Concept

Evaluating a composite function by finding the output of the inner function and using it as the input for the outer function.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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