Question

A proximity sensor attached to the tip of an endoscope could reduce risks during eye surgery by alerting surgeons to the location of critical retinal tissue.
If a certain eye surgeon expects that by using this technology, he will avoid lawsuits of $0.6 and $1.35 million 2 and 5 years from now, respectively, how much could he afford to spend now if his out-of-pocket costs for the lawsuits would be only 10% of the total amount of each suit? Use an interest rate of 10% per year.

Answer 1

Answer:

He could afford to spend $133,411 for the device now.

Explanation:

The maximum the surgeon could afford for the device is equal to the sum of present value of the lawsuit costs that he can avoid in year 2 and year 5 which is:

+ Year 2: 600,000 * %out-of-pocket cost for the law suit = 600,000 * 10% = $60,000;

+ Year 5: 1,350,000 * %out-of-pocket cost for the law suit = 1,350,000 * 10% = $135,000.

=> The amount he can afford for the device = 60,000 / 1.1^2 + 135,000 / 1.1^5 = $133,411.

So, the answer is $133,411.