An author published a book which was being sold online. The first month the author sold 8000 books, but the sales were declining steadily at 9% each month. If this trend continues, how many total books would the author have sold over the first 21 months, to the nearest whole number?Answer:
Q. An author published a book which was being sold online. The first month the author sold 8000 books, but the sales were declining steadily at 9% each month. If this trend continues, how many total books would the author have sold over the first 21 months, to the nearest whole number?Answer:
Identify Initial Number: Identify the initial number of books sold and the monthly decline rate.The initial number of books sold is 8000, and the monthly decline rate is 9%.
Determine Formula: Determine the formula for the total number of books sold over a period of time with a steady decline.The total number of books sold can be calculated using the formula for the sum of a geometric series: Sn=1−ra(1−rn), where a is the first term, r is the common ratio (1−decline rate), and n is the number of terms.
Calculate Common Ratio: Calculate the common ratio for the geometric series.The decline rate is 9%, so the common ratio r is 1−0.09=0.91.
Apply Geometric Series Formula: Apply the formula for the sum of a geometric series to find the total number of books sold over 21 months.Using the formula Sn=(1−r)a(1−rn), where a=8000, r=0.91, and n=21, we get:S21=(1−0.91)8000(1−0.9121).
Calculate Sum: Calculate the sum S21. S21=8000(1−0.9121)/(1−0.91)=8000(1−0.9121)/0.09Now, calculate 0.9121 using a calculator.0.9121≈0.1426 (rounded to four decimal places)Now, substitute this value into the formula.S21=8000(1−0.1426)/0.09=8000(0.8574)/0.09=6859.2/0.09=76213.333…
Round Total Number: Round the total number of books sold to the nearest whole number.The total number of books sold over 21 months, rounded to the nearest whole number, is approximately 76213.
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