Exercise D2-10

After graduating from dental school two years ago, Dr. Lauren Farish purchased the dental practice of a long-time dentist who was retiring. In January of this year she had to replace the outdated autoclave equipment she inherited from the previous dentist. Now, as she is preparing her budget for next year, she is concerned about understanding how her cost for sterilizing her dental instruments has changed. She has gathered the following information from her records:

Month Number of instruments used. Total autoclave cost

January. 622 $7,470

February 522 $6,562

March 722 $7,146

April 922 $9,054

May 822 $7,634

June 1,022 $8,612

July 1,222 $10,081

August 1,122 $9,878

What is the variable cost of sterilizing an instrument using the new equipment?(Round answer to 2 decimal places, e.g. 52.75.)

Variable cost$

per instrument

What is the fixed cost of the autoclave equipment?(Round answer to 0 decimal places, e.g. 5,275.)

What is the cost formula that Dr. Farish should use for estimating autoclave sterilization costs for next year's budget?

Formula of total cost($5.03 # of instruments) + $3,936($5.03 # of instruments) - $3,936($3,936 # of instruments) + $5.03($5.03 # of instruments) - $3,936($5.03 # of instruments) + $3,936($3,936 # of instruments) - $5.03($3,936 # of instruments) + $5.03($3,936 # of instruments) - $5.03

If Dr. Farish estimates she will use 1,168 instruments next month, what cost should she include in her budget for instrument sterilization?(Round answer to 0 decimal places, e.g. 5,275.)