Response to the following problem:
The following data were taken from recent annual reports of Southwest Airlines, which operates a low-fare airline service to more than 50 cities in the United States:
| |
Current Year
|
Preceding Year |
| Interest expense |
$147,000,000 |
$194,000,000 |
| Income before income tax |
685,000,000 |
323,000,000 |
a. Determine the number of times interest charges are earned for the current and preceding years. Round to one decimal place.