To calculate the interest earned on a principal amount with compound interest, you can use the formula:
\[
A = P \left(1 + \frac{r}{n}\right)^{n \cdot t}
\]
Where:
- \( A \) = the amount of money accumulated after n years, including interest.
- \( P \) = principal amount (the initial deposit).
- \( r \) = annual interest rate (decimal).
- \( n \) = number of times that interest is compounded per year.
- \( t \) = the number of years the money is invested or borrowed.
Given:
- \( P = 675 \)
- \( r = 0.03 \) (3% expressed as a decimal)
- \( n = 4 \) (quarterly)
- \( t = 6 \)
Now substitute these values into the formula:
\[
A = 675 \left(1 + \frac{0.03}{4}\right)^{4 \cdot 6}
\]
Calculating the values step by step:
- Calculate \( \frac{0.03}{4} = 0.0075 \).
- Then calculate \( 1 + 0.0075 = 1.0075 \).
- Calculate \( 4 \cdot 6 = 24 \).
- Now calculate \( A = 675 \times (1.0075)^{24} \).
Now we can calculate \( (1.0075)^{24} \):
\[
(1.0075)^{24} \approx 1.197427
\]
Now substitute it back into the equation for \( A \):
\[
A \approx 675 \times 1.197427 \approx 807.58
\]
To find the interest earned, subtract the principal from \( A \):
\[
\text{Interest} = A - P \approx 807.58 - 675 = 132.58
\]
So the interest earned is approximately $132.58.
The correct response is:
$132.58