In a simple model, the value, $V_t$, of a car depends on its age, $t$, in years - Edexcel - A-Level Maths Pure - Question 9 - 2019 - Paper 2
Question 9
In a simple model, the value, $V_t$, of a car depends on its age, $t$, in years.
The following information is available for car A
- its value when new is £20000
- ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:In a simple model, the value, $V_t$, of a car depends on its age, $t$, in years - Edexcel - A-Level Maths Pure - Question 9 - 2019 - Paper 2
Step 1
Use an exponential model to form, for car A, a possible equation linking $V_t$ with $t$.
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Answer
To model the depreciation of car A, we start with the exponential decay formula:
Vt=V0e−kt
Where:
V0 is the initial value (£20000)
Vt is the value after t years
k is the decay constant.
Using the information that the value after one year is £16000:
Substitute t=1 and Vt=16000:
16000=20000e−k
Solve for k:
e^{-k} = rac{16000}{20000} = 0.8
Taking natural logarithm:
−k=extln(0.8)
Thus, kextisapproximately0.223.
Finally, the model becomes:
Vt=20000e−0.223t
Step 2
Evaluate the reliability of your model in light of this information.
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Answer
After 10 years, the model predicts:
Substitute t=10 into the model:
V10=20000e−0.223imes10
Calculate:
V10extisapproximately2150.34
This is significantly higher than the observed value of £2000.
Therefore, while the model provides a close estimate, it may not be entirely reliable, as it underestimates the depreciation in value over a longer period.
Step 3
Explain how you would adapt the equation found in (a) so that it could be used to model the value of car B.
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Answer
To adjust the equation for car B, which depreciates more slowly than car A, we can modify the decay constant k to a lower value.
For example, if car B depreciates more gently, we could set k to a value like 0.18 or 0.15 to reflect reduced depreciation.