Problem
I. Alexander Company purchased a piece of equipment for $12,000 and depreciated it for three years over a five-year estimated life with an expected residual value at the end of five years of $2,000. At the end of the third year, Alex decided to upgrade to equipment with increased capacity and sold the original piece of equipment for $7,200. Calculate the gain or loss on the disposal at the end of the third year.
II. Hunt Company is considering purchasing a competing company in order to expand its market share. Estimates of the excess of the value of the individual assets, less liabilities to be assumed, range from $50,000 to $60,000, depending on the manner in which that excess is calculated. Hunt believes it can purchase the competitor for a direct cash outlay of $700,000, which is only $25,000 more than the value of the individual assets less the liabilities that Hunt will assume. Assuming Hunt makes the purchase for $700,000, at what amount should goodwill be recorded? Briefly explain your answer.
III. Miller Mining acquired rights to a tract of land with the intent of extracting from the land a valuable mineral. The cost of the rights was $2,500,000 and an estimated 10,000 tons of the mineral are expected to be extracted. Assuming that 1,600 tons of the mineral are actually extracted in the first year, determine the amount of depletion expense that should be recognized for that year