College

Ed Bland had savings of [tex]$\$ 837$[/tex] invested at [tex]$4 \frac{1}{2} \%$[/tex] simple interest for 3 years. Find the interest. Round your final answer to the nearest cent.

The interest earned on Ed Bland's savings was [tex]$\square$[/tex].

Answer :

To find the interest earned on Ed Bland's savings, we use the simple interest formula:

[tex]\[ I = P \times r \times t \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( I \)[/tex] is the interest,
- [tex]\( P \)[/tex] is the principal amount (initial savings),
- [tex]\( r \)[/tex] is the annual interest rate (as a decimal),
- [tex]\( t \)[/tex] is the time in years.

Let's break down the calculation step-by-step:

1. Identify the principal (P):
The principal amount, [tex]\( P \)[/tex], is \[tex]$837.

2. Convert the interest rate to a decimal (r):
The interest rate is given as \(4 \frac{1}{2}\%\) which is equivalent to \(4.5\%\).
To convert to a decimal, divide by 100:
\[
r = \frac{4.5}{100} = 0.045
\]

3. Determine the time in years (t):
The time, \( t \), is 3 years.

4. Calculate the simple interest (I):
Substitute the values into the formula:
\[
I = 837 \times 0.045 \times 3
\]

5. Multiply to find the interest:
\[
I = 837 \times 0.045 \times 3 = 112.995
\]

6. Round the interest to the nearest cent:
The interest rounded to the nearest cent is \$[/tex]113.00.

Therefore, the interest earned on Ed Bland's savings is \$113.00.