Question 158736
Suppose that the costs for such a station are $2,500 for setup costs and $3.00 to administer each test. 
a. Write an expression that gives the total cost to test x animals.
C(x) = 2500 + 3x dollars
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b. You can find the average cost per animal by dividing total costs by number of animals. Write the expression that gives the average cost per animal.
[C(x)]/x = [2500 + 3x]/x
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c. Find the average cost per animal for 10 animals. 100 animals. 1,000 animals. 
For 10 animals: [C(10)] = [2500 + 3*10]/10 = 2800/10 = 280 dollars
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You can do the work for x=100 and for x=1000
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d. As the number of animals tested increases, what happens to the average cost to test the animals? Would the average cost ever fall below $3.00? If so, identify a value that supports your answer. If not, explain how you know. 
The horizontal asymptote is 3x/x = 3
The average would not drop below $3
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e. How many animals should be tested for the average cost to be $5.00 per animal? 
Let C(x)=$5 and solve for "x":
5 = [2500+3x]/x
2x = 2500
x = 1250 animals.
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Cheers,
Stan H.