document.write( "Question 1159783: If you invest $2,500 in an account, what is the time that will take you to get $2,571 if the
\n" ); document.write( "interest rate is 0.7% compounded continuously?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #782856 by Theo(13342)\"\" \"About 
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the continuous compounding formula is f = p * e ^ (r * t)
\n" ); document.write( "f is the future value.
\n" ); document.write( "p is the present value.
\n" ); document.write( "r is the interest rate per time period.
\n" ); document.write( "t is the number of time periods.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "in this problem, the time period is in years and the formula becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "2571 = 2500 * e ^ (.007 * t)\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the formula says that 2500 becomes 2571 in t years at the rate of .007 per year.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "in this formula, you are using the rate rather than the rate percent.
\n" ); document.write( "the rate is equal to the rate percent divided by 100.
\n" ); document.write( "that makes r = .7% / 100 = .007.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "divide both sides of this formula by 2500 to get:
\n" ); document.write( "2571 / 2500 = e ^ (.007 * t)
\n" ); document.write( "take the natural log of both sides of this equation to get:
\n" ); document.write( "ln(2571/2500) = ln(e^(.007*t)).
\n" ); document.write( "since ln(e^(.007*t)) is equal to t * ln(e^(.007)), the formula becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "ln(2571/2500) = t * ln(e^(.007)).
\n" ); document.write( "solve for t to get:
\n" ); document.write( "t = ln(2571/2500) / ln(e^(.007)) = 4.000599487 years.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "to confirm, replace t in the original equation with that to get:
\n" ); document.write( "2571 = 2500 * e^(.007 * 4.000599487) = 2571.
\n" ); document.write( "the solution is confirmed to be good.
\n" ); document.write( "the solution is that 2500 will become 2571 in 4.000599487 years at the rate of .7% per year compounded continuously.\r
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