Environmental Science The cost of removing chemicals from drinking water depends on how much of the chemical can safely be left behind in the water. The following table lists the annual removal costs for arsenic in terms of the concentration of arsenic in the drinking water.
Arsenic Concentration (micrograms per liter) | Annual Cost (millions of dollars) |
3 | 645 |
5 | 379 |
10 | 166 |
20 | 65 |
(a) Interpret the data in the table. What is the relation between the amount of arsenic left behind in the removal process and the annual cost? (One microgram is equal to 10-6 gram.)
(b) Make a scatter plot of the data and find the exponential function of the form C(x) = Cax that best fits the data. Here, is the arsenic concentration.
(c) Why must be less than 1 in your model?
(d) Using your model, what is the annual cost to obtain an arsenic concentration of 12 micrograms per liter?
(e) It would be best to have the smallest possible amount of arsenic in the drinking water, but the cost may be prohibitive. Use your model to calculate the annual cost of processing such that the concentration of arsenic is only 2 micrograms per liter of water. Interpret your result.
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