High School

Gwen deposits [tex]$7000[/tex] in a savings account with an annual interest rate of [tex]2.5\%[/tex].

What function represents the value of her account after [tex]x[/tex] years?

A. [tex]f(x) = 7000 \cdot (2.5)^x[/tex]

B. [tex]f(x) = 7000 \cdot (1.025)^x[/tex]

C. [tex]f(x) = 7000 \cdot (0.975)^x[/tex]

D. [tex]f(x) = 7000 \cdot (0.025)^x[/tex]

What will her balance be after 9 years?

Answer :

To solve the problem, we need to find the function that represents the value of Gwen's savings account after [tex]\( x \)[/tex] years, given a principal amount of [tex]$7000 and an annual interest rate of 2.5%. Then, we will calculate her balance after 9 years.

1. Identifying the Correct Function:

With compound interest, the formula to calculate the future value \( f(x) \) of an investment is:

\[
f(x) = P \cdot (1 + r)^x
\]

where \( P \) is the principal amount, \( r \) is the annual interest rate (in decimal), and \( x \) is the number of years.

Given:
- Principal, \( P = 7000 \)
- Annual interest rate, \( r = 2.5\% = 0.025 \)

The correct function will be:

\[
f(x) = 7000 \cdot (1 + 0.025)^x = 7000 \cdot (1.025)^x
\]

From the options provided, this corresponds to:

(B) \( f(x) = 7000 \cdot (1.025)^x \)

2. Calculating the Balance After 9 Years:

We substitute \( x = 9 \) into the function to find the balance after 9 years:

\[
f(9) = 7000 \cdot (1.025)^9
\]

After performing the calculation, the balance after 9 years is approximately \$[/tex]8742.04.

So, Gwen's balance after 9 years will be approximately \$8742.04.