A government agency is having problems with personal telephone calls made during working hours.Because each minute of a personal call costs the agency $0.50 in wasted wages,it has decided to hire operators to monitor calls.The agency wants to hire the number of operators that will maximize the net benefit of hiring operators to monitor calls. $\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array}{c}
\text {Number of}\
\text { operators}\
0\
1\
2\
3\
4\
5\
\end{array}
\begin{array}{c}
\text {Minutes of personal}\
\text { calls(per week) }\
3900\
2300\
1300\
600\
100\
0\
\end{array}
\end{array}$
Based on the above information,if operators receive $400 a week,what is the lowest possible total cost of personal calls?
A)$ 650
B)$ 800
C)$1450
D)$1500

Question

A government agency is having problems with personal telephone calls made during working hours.Because each minute of a personal call costs the agency $0.50 in wasted wages,it has decided to hire operators to monitor calls.The agency wants to hire the number of operators that will maximize the net benefit of hiring operators to monitor calls. $\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array}{c}
\text {Number of}\
\text {  operators}\
0\
1\
2\
3\
4\
5\
\end{array}
\begin{array}{c}
\text {Minutes of personal}\
\text {  calls(per week) }\
3900\
2300\
1300\
600\
100\
0\
\end{array}
\end{array}$
 Based on the above information,if operators receive $400 a week,what is the lowest possible total cost of personal calls?
A)$ 650
B)$ 800
C)$1450
D)$1500

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lowest possible total cost occurs when 4 operators are hired. The cost of personal calls is $0.50 per minute, and with 4 operators, there are 100 minutes of personal calls, costing $50. The cost of hiring 4 operators is $1600 ($400 each). The total cost is $1650, but the question asks for the cost of personal calls only, which is $50.

A Government Agency Is Having Problems with Personal Telephone Calls