Regina has finished writing her first book, Successful Steps to College Success. She wants to determine the price at which she should sell her book in order to maximize her revenue. This situation is expressed by the equation y=−0.5x2+24x

, where x represents the price and y represents the revenue. In terms of the context, what price should Regina sell the book to earn maximum revenue?(1 point)
Responses

$12
$12

$24
$24

$48
$48

$288
$288
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1 answer

To find the price that Regina should sell her book in order to maximize her revenue, we can analyze the quadratic revenue function given by:

\[ y = -0.5x^2 + 24x \]

This is a quadratic equation in the form \( y = ax^2 + bx + c \), where:

  • \( a = -0.5 \)
  • \( b = 24 \)

The vertex of a parabola represented by a quadratic equation \( y = ax^2 + bx + c \) gives the maximum (or minimum) point of the function. Since \( a < 0 \), the parabola opens downwards, and thus the vertex will represent the maximum revenue.

The x-coordinate of the vertex can be calculated using the formula:

\[ x = -\frac{b}{2a} \]

Substituting the values of \( a \) and \( b \):

\[ x = -\frac{24}{2 \cdot -0.5} \] \[ x = -\frac{24}{-1} \] \[ x = 24 \]

Thus, to maximize her revenue, Regina should sell the book at $24. Therefore, the correct response is:

$24