Bunuel
Each month, a certain manufacturing company's total expenses are equal to a fixed monthly expense plus a variable expense that is directly proportional to the number of units produced by the company during that month. If the company's total expenses for a month in which it produces 20,000 units are $570,000, and the total expenses for a month in which it produces 25,000 units are $705,000, what is the company's fixed monthly expense?
A. $27,000
B. $30,000
C. $67,500
D. $109,800
E. $135,000
The trap is Answer A. $27 is the cost per unit.
That figure is used to calculate variable cost (variable cost total changes because the number of units produced changes)
Variable Cost = (Per unit cost) * (# of units)
Fixed Cost is a cost that does not change that is incurred with each and every production batch irrespective of number of units.
Fixed Cost = (Total Cost - Variable Cost)
(1) Total cost of "extra" units?
How many [relatively] extra units cost how much total?
Fixed cost + 25,000 units = $705,000
Fixed cost + 20,000 units = $570,000
Subtract bottom from top: 5,000 units cost $135,000
(2) Cost per unit:
\(\frac{TotalCost}{No.Of.Units}=\frac{$135,000}{5,000}=$27\)
per unitPer unit cost is $27, but $27 per unit is above and beyond some fixed cost that is the same for every production batch. We need that fixed cost.
(3) Fixed cost
Fixed cost = Total cost - (Variable Cost)
Pick one production batch. Doesn't matter which one.
Variable Cost = (# of units) * (cost per unit = $27)
Variable Cost of 20,000 units:
\(($27 * 20,000) = $540,000\)Total Cost of 20,000 units:
\($570,000\)Fixed Cost:
\(($570,000 - $540,000) = $30,000\)Answer B