Oak Island Amusements Center provides the following data on the costs of maintenance and the number of visitors for the last three years: Number of Visitors per Year: (thousands) Maintenance Costs ($000) 1,845 $ 2,773 2,025 3,052 2,600 3,830 Required: a. Use the high-low method to estimate the fixed cost of maintenance annually and the variable cost of maintenance per visitor. (Enter your answers in dollars not in thousands of dollars. Round "Variable cost" answer to 2 decimal places.) b. The company expects a record 2,300,000 visitors next year. What would be the estimated maintenance costs

a. (i) $1.40

(ii) $190,000

b. $3,410,000

Explanation:

The computation of fixed cost of maintenance annually and the variable cost of maintenance per visitor is shown below:-

a. (i) Variable cost per visitor = (Maintenance cost at highest number of visitors - Maintenance cost at lowest number of visitors) : (Highest number of visitor - Lowest number of visitor)

= ($3,830,000 - $2,773,000) : ($2,600,000 - $1,845,000)

= $1,057,000 : $755,000

= $1.40

(ii) Fixed cost of maintenance = Total costs - Variable cost at that level

= $2,773,000 - $1,845,000 * $1.40

= $2,773,000 - $2,583,000

= $190,000

b. The computation of estimated maintenance costs is shown below:-

Estimated maintenance costs = Fixed costs + Variable cost per visitors * Number of visitors

= $190,000 + 2,300,000 * $1.40

= $190,000 + $3,220,000

= $3,410,000