A California distributor of sporting equipment expects to sell 9,000 cases of tennis balls during the coming year at a steady rate. Yearly carrying costs (to be computed on the average number of cases in stock during the year) are $10 per case, and the cost of placing an order with the manufacturer is $50. (a) Find the inventory cost incurred if the distributor orders 250 cases at a time during the year. (b) Determine the economic order quantity, that is, the order quantity that minimizes the inventory cost. Let x be the number of cases per order and r the number of orders placed per year. if C represents the inventory cost, then the objective equation is C = Br + [:lx. The constraint equation is rx = D. (Do not include the $ symbol in your answer). (a) The inventory cost is $D. (Simplify your answer.) (b) The economic order quantity is El cases. (Simplify your answer.)