The total cost of producing x slingshots consists of the fixed cost (the initial cost to the company for production, marketing, and paying workers) and the variable cost (the cost per unit multiplied by the number of units produced). Therefore, the linear function that describes the total cost f(x) of producing x slingshots can be expressed as:
f(x) = 16000 + 1.88x
where x is the number of slingshots produced, and f(x) is the total cost.
To find out how much it will cost to produce 1000 slingshots, we can substitute x = 1000 into the function and evaluate:
f(1000) = 16000 + 1.88(1000)
f(1000) = 16000 + 1880
f(1000) = 17880
Therefore, it will cost $17,880 to produce 1000 slingshots.