A quadrupole mass spectrometer can be purchased today for $85,000. The owner of a mineral analysis laboratory expects the cost to increase exactly by the specialty laboratory equipment cost index over the next 10 years.

(a) If the specialty equipment inflation rate is estimated to be 2% per year for the next 3 years and 5% per year thereafter, how much will the spectrometer cost in 10 years?

(b) If the applicable cost index is 1203 now, what will the index be 10 years from now at the expected inflation rates?