A Do-It-Yourself Homeowner Is Installing a New Toilet

question 38

Essay

A do-it-yourself homeowner is installing a new toilet. While installing the toilet he must decide on what kind of connecting pipe he will install to the water supply. There are two available options, one that has a shut-off valve in case of a leak and a cheaper one without the shut-off valve. Suppose that the shut-off valve pipe costs an extra ten dollars and that the homeowner must buy one of the two.
(a) Draw a decision tree for this scenario, labeling the cost of a leak as X and the chance of a leak as P.
(b) If the chance of a leak causing household damage is 1%, at what $ amount of household damage is the owner neutral on which pipe to buy?
(c) If the cost of a leak would be $10,000 what is the maximum % chance to leak at which the homeowner would prefer to buy the cheaper pipe?
(d) If the cost of a leak is $1,000 and the chance to flood .1% which pipe should the homeowner buy?

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Definitions:

Purchasing Department

A division within a business that is responsible for acquiring goods and services needed for operations.

Standard Cost

A predetermined cost of manufacturing a product or providing a service, used for budgeting and performance evaluation.

Predetermined Cost

An estimated cost calculated in advance of production, used for budgeting and cost control purposes.

Negative Effects

Undesirable impacts or outcomes that result from a specific action, event, or set of circumstances.