A U.S. emergency relief agency is considering sending a team of experts to another country to treat a severely contagious disease outbreak. Each team member is paid $10,000 for this one-week-long job. The agency estimates effectiveness as follows:
? $\begin{array}{|l|l|}
\hline \text { Number of Team Members }& \text { Number of Deaths }\
\hline 0 & 1,000 \
\hline 5 & 400 \
\hline 10 & 150 \
\hline 15 & 30 \
\hline 20 & 30 \
\hline
\end{array}$
-If saving a life is valued at $100,000, what is the optimal number of people the agency should send?
A) 0.
B) 5.
C) 10.
D) 15.
E) 20.

Question

A U.S. emergency relief agency is considering sending a team of experts to another country to treat a severely contagious disease outbreak. Each team member is paid $10,000 for this one-week-long job. The agency estimates effectiveness as follows:
? $\begin{array}{|l|l|}
\hline   \text { Number of Team Members }&  \text {  Number of Deaths }\
\hline 0 & 1,000 \
\hline 5 & 400 \
\hline 10 & 150 \
\hline 15 & 30 \
\hline 20 & 30 \
\hline
\end{array}$
-If saving a life is valued at $100,000, what is the optimal number of people the agency should send?
A) 0.
B) 5.
C) 10.
D) 15.
E) 20.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using the MB>MC rule, $100,000>$417 for a team of 15 members. Sending a team of 20 people is not optimal, as the marginal cost of increasing the team size is $50,000, while MB=0 lives saved. 
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A US Emergency Relief Agency Is Considering Sending a Team of of Experts