Use the following table to work Problems 27 and 28. ProPainters hires students at $250 a week to paint houses. It leases equipment at $500 a week. The table sets out its total product schedule. Labor (students) 1 Output (houses painted per week) 2 23 5 3 9 4 12 5 14 6 15 27. If ProPainters paints 12 houses a week, calculate its total cost, average total cost, and marginal cost. At what output is average total cost a minimum? 28. Explain why the gap between ProPainters' total cost and total variable cost is the same no matter how many houses are painted.

How does fixed cost affect marginal cost? Why is this relationship important?

Average cost curves (except for avenge fixed cost) tend to be U-shaped, decreasing and then increasing. Marginal cost curves have the same shape, though this may be harder to see since most of the marginal cost curve is increasing. Why do you think that average and marginal cost curves have the same general shape?

Compute the average total cost, average variable cost, and marginal cost of producing 50 and 72 haircuts. Draw the graph of line three curves between 60 and 72 haircuts.