A company has an annual budget of $1,200,000. They spend 40% on salaries, 25% on marketing, 15% on research and development, and the remaining amount on miscellaneous expenses. How much do they spend on each category, and what is the difference between the highest and lowest spending categories?
First, let's calculate the amount spent on each category. We know that the annual budget is $1,200,000:

Salaries = Budget * 0.40
               = $1,200,000 * 0.40
               = $480,000

Marketing = Budget * 0.25
                 = $1,200,000 * 0.25
                 = $300,000

Research and Development = Budget * 0.15
                                       = $1,200,000 * 0.15
                                       = $180,000

To find the remaining amount for miscellaneous expenses, we can subtract the amounts spent on the other categories from the total budget:

Miscellaneous = Budget - Salaries - Marketing - Research and Development
                         = $1,200,000 - $480,000 - $300,000 - $180,000
                         = $240,000

Now, to find the difference between the highest and lowest spending categories, we need to identify these categories first. The highest spending category is salaries ($480,000), and the lowest spending category is research and development ($180,000). Then, we can calculate the difference:

Difference = Highest spending - Lowest spending
                   = $480,000 - $180,000
                   = $300,000

So, the company spends $480,000 on salaries, $300,000 on marketing, $180,000 on research and development, and $240,000 on miscellaneous expenses. The difference between the highest and lowest spending categories is $300,000.