A used car was purchased for $12,329 in 2018 each in the car‘s value decreases 8.5% write an exponential function equation describing the situation what will the car be worth in 2024 on your answer to the nearest cent

1 answer

To model the depreciation of the car's value, we can use an exponential decay function. The general form of an exponential decay function is:

\[ V(t) = V_0 \cdot (1 - r)^t \]

where:

  • \( V(t) \) is the value of the car after \( t \) years,
  • \( V_0 \) is the initial value of the car,
  • \( r \) is the rate of depreciation (as a decimal), and
  • \( t \) is the number of years since the initial purchase.

In this case:

  • \( V_0 = 12,329 \)
  • \( r = 0.085 \) (which is 8.5% expressed as a decimal)

The equation describing the situation becomes:

\[ V(t) = 12,329 \cdot (1 - 0.085)^t \]

Simplifying it, we have:

\[ V(t) = 12,329 \cdot (0.915)^t \]

Next, we need to find the value of the car in 2024. Since the car was purchased in 2018, \( t \) for 2024 is:

\[ t = 2024 - 2018 = 6 \]

Now, we can substitute \( t = 6 \) into the equation to find the car's value in 2024:

\[ V(6) = 12,329 \cdot (0.915)^6 \]

Calculating \( (0.915)^6 \):

\[ (0.915)^6 \approx 0.577708 \]

Now, substituting back into the value equation:

\[ V(6) \approx 12,329 \cdot 0.577708 \approx 7,118.85 \]

Hence, the estimated value of the car in 2024 is approximately:

\[ \boxed{7,118.85} \]

This means the car will be worth approximately $7,118.85 in 2024, rounded to the nearest cent.