The average income, [tex]I[/tex], in dollars, of a lawyer with an age of [tex]x[/tex] years is modeled with the following function:
[tex]\[ I = -425x^2 + 45,500x - 650,000 \][/tex]

What is the youngest age for which the average income of a lawyer is \$250,000?

Round to the nearest year.

Answer here: ____________



Answer :

To solve this problem, we need to determine the value of [tex]\( x \)[/tex] - the age of the lawyer - for which the average income [tex]\( I \)[/tex] is 250,000 dollars. Here is a step-by-step solution to find this value:

1. Set up the equation:
[tex]\[ -425x^2 + 45500x - 650000 = 250000 \][/tex]
Subtract 250,000 from both sides to set the equation to zero:
[tex]\[ -425x^2 + 45500x - 900000 = 0 \][/tex]

2. Identify coefficients:
This is a quadratic equation in the standard form [tex]\( ax^2 + bx + c = 0 \)[/tex]. In this case:
[tex]\[ a = -425 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ b = 45500 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ c = -900000 \][/tex]

3. Use the quadratic formula:
[tex]\[ x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a} \][/tex]
Substitute the coefficients [tex]\( a \)[/tex], [tex]\( b \)[/tex], and [tex]\( c \)[/tex] into the formula:
[tex]\[ x = \frac{-45500 \pm \sqrt{45500^2 - 4(-425)(-900000)}}{2(-425)} \][/tex]

4. Calculate the discriminant:
[tex]\[ \text{Discriminant} = b^2 - 4ac \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Discriminant} = 45500^2 - 4(-425)(-900000) \][/tex]

5. Evaluate the roots:
Calculate the roots using the discriminant:
[tex]\[ x_1 = \frac{-45500 + \sqrt{Discriminant}}{2(-425)} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x_2 = \frac{-45500 - \sqrt{Discriminant}}{2(-425)} \][/tex]

6. Identify the positive root:
We need the youngest age, which means we are looking for the smallest positive root. After solving:
[tex]\[ x \approx 26.184378119601273 \][/tex]

7. Round to the nearest year:
[tex]\[ \text{Youngest age} = \text{round}(26.184378119601273) = 26 \][/tex]

Therefore, the youngest age for which the average income of a lawyer is $250,000 is [tex]\( \boxed{26} \)[/tex] years.

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