1.5.2: Exercise N.5
- Page ID
- 147904
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)(1) The average price of a movie ticket in 1980 was $2.70. Calculate the cost of a movie ticket in 2020, using the Consumer Price Index of 82.4 in 1980 and 258.8 in 2020. Round to the nearest cent.
(2) In 2020, SONY released its newest version of the PlayStation, the PlayStation 5. The retail price was $399.99. Many consumers felt that this gaming console was overpriced. They pointed to the original PlayStation that was released in 1995 with a list price of $300. Using the fact that the CPI was 152.4 in 1995 and 258.8 in 2020, adjust the price of the original PlayStation to 2020 dollars. Which gaming console would you conclude was more expensive?
(3) Mary earns a yearly salary of $50,000 and will be receiving a $1,200 raise. Mike earns $9.25 per hour and will be receiving a 25-cent per hour raise. Who will be receiving the better raise in absolute terms? Who will be receiving the better raise in relative terms? Use the fact that Mike and Mary will both be working 40 hours per week and that there are typically 52 weeks in a year.
(4) Conduct an Internet search to find reports of the U.S. national debt for the last fifty years. How is the data reported or compared? What organization is reporting the data? Identify any possible bias in the way this organization reports their data.
(5) The table below provides national debt and population data for five different years.
(a) How much money would each person owe if the national debt were evenly distributed among all living people in the United States? Round answers to the nearest dollar and enter them in the table below.
| Year |
National Debt (in billions of dollars) |
U.S. Population |
Individual Share |
| 1945 | 259 | 140 | |
| 1980 | 930 | 227 | |
| 1995 | 4,974 | 266 | |
| 2010 | 14,025 | 309 | |
| 2021 | 28,429 | 332 |
(b) In absolute terms, in which year do individuals owe the most?
(c) In absolute terms, in which year do individuals owe the least?
(d) Is this a reasonable way to try to compare the national debt from these years? Explain.
(6) (a) Adjust the dollar amounts you computed in Question 5(a) for inflation by expressing all the quantities in terms of the value of a dollar in 2021. Enter the individual share of the national debt from Question 5(a) then calculate the individual share in 2021 dollars. Round answers to the nearest dollar and enter them in the table below.
| Year |
Individual Share (from Question 5a) |
Consumer Price Index (average annual) as reported by BLS |
Individual Share (expressed in 2021 dollars) |
| 1945 | 18.0 | ||
| 1980 | 82.4 | ||
| 1995 | 152.4 | ||
| 2010 | 218.1 | ||
| 2021 | 271.0 |
(b) When adjusted for inflation, in which year do individuals owe the most?
(c) When adjusted for inflation, in which year do individuals owe the least?
(d) Is this a reasonable way to try to compare the national debt from these years? Explain.


