Understanding Interest Quick Check

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Question
Compare simple interest at 3% and compound interest at 2% with interest being compounded monthly when $750 is invested for 1 year to determine which interest earning type offers more financial gains.(1 point)
Responses

Both simple interest at 3% and compound interest at 2% with interest being compounded monthly offer the same amount of financial gain after 1 year of investment.
Both simple interest at 3% and compound interest at 2% with interest being compounded monthly offer the same amount of financial gain after 1 year of investment.

There is not enough information to determine which interest earning type offers more financial gains.
There is not enough information to determine which interest earning type offers more financial gains.

Compound interest at 2% offers more financial gains.
Compound interest at 2% offers more financial gains.

Simple interest at 3% offers more financial gains.

1 answer

To determine which interest earning type offers more financial gains after 1 year, we need to calculate both the simple interest and the compound interest for the given investment of $750.

Simple Interest Calculation

The formula for simple interest is:

\[ \text{Simple Interest} = P \times r \times t \]

Where:

  • \( P \) = principal amount ($750)
  • \( r \) = rate of interest (3% or 0.03)
  • \( t \) = time in years (1)

\[ \text{Simple Interest} = 750 \times 0.03 \times 1 = 22.50 \]

Therefore, the simple interest after 1 year is $22.50.

Compound Interest Calculation

The formula for compound interest is:

\[ A = P \left(1 + \frac{r}{n}\right)^{nt} \]

Where:

  • \( A \) = the amount of money accumulated after n years, including interest.
  • \( P \) = principal amount ($750)
  • \( r \) = annual interest rate (2% or 0.02)
  • \( n \) = number of times that interest is compounded per year (monthly, so \( n = 12 \))
  • \( t \) = time in years (1)

Calculating it step by step:

  1. Calculate the monthly interest rate: \[ \frac{r}{n} = \frac{0.02}{12} = 0.00166667 \]

  2. Calculate the total number of compounding periods: \[ nt = 12 \times 1 = 12 \]

  3. Plugging these values into the compound interest formula: \[ A = 750 \left(1 + 0.00166667\right)^{12} \] \[ A = 750 \left(1.00166667\right)^{12} \] \[ A \approx 750 \left(1.02018885991584\right) \approx 765.14 \]

  4. Now subtract the principal to find the compound interest: \[ \text{Compound Interest} = A - P = 765.14 - 750 \approx 15.14 \]

Conclusion

  • Simple interest after 1 year: $22.50
  • Compound interest after 1 year: $15.14

So, simple interest at 3% offers more financial gains after 1 year compared to compound interest at 2%.

Therefore, the correct response is:

Simple interest at 3% offers more financial gains.