To determine the value of the car after each year, we can use the formula for exponential decay. The value of the car decreases by 15% each year, which means it retains 85% of its value at the end of each year.
- The initial value of the car is \( V_0 = 40,000 \) dollars.
- The car retains 85% of its value each year, which can be expressed as \( 0.85 \) in the function.
- Using \( x \) to represent the number of years, the function for the car's value can be written as:
\[ f(x) = 40000 \cdot (0.85)^x \]
Thus, the exponential function that represents the value of the car at the end of every year is:
\[ f(x) = 40000(0.85)^x \]