Answer:
B. The payback is approximately three years
Explanation:
The computation of payback period for this equipment purchase is shown below:-
Year Cash flow Cumulative cash flow
0 -$600,000 -$600,000
1 $250,000 -$350,000
2 $200,000 -$150,000
($250,000 - $50,000)
3 $150,000 0
($200,000 - $50,000)
4 $100,000 $100,000
($150,000 - $50,000)
5 $50,000 $150,000
($100,000 - $50,000)
Here, Cumulative cash flow in the year o is -$600,000 and as we can see that cumulative cash flow in year 3 is 0.
Therefore the payback period lies in 3 years.