Estimating a cost function. The controller of the Ijiri Company wants you to estimate a cost function from the following two observations in a general ledger account called Maintenance:

Month Machine-Hours Maintenance Costs Incurred January 4,000 $3,600 February 7,000 4,680 Required 1. Estimate the cost function for maintenance.

2. Can the constant in the cost function be used as an estimate of the fixed maintenance cost per month? Explain.