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| Question 1202635:  Ali invests $14 800 in an account that earns interest compounded semi-annually for 8 years. She then takes all the money, which amounts to $17 063.24, and invests it in an account that earns interest compounded quarterly for 6 years. After the 14 years, the account is worth $18 846.11. What annual interest rate was Ali earning on each of the accounts?
 Answer by math_tutor2020(3817)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Compound interest formula
 A = P*(1+r/n)^(n*t)
 
 A = final amount
 P = deposit
 r = annual interest rate in decimal form
 n = compounding frequency
 t = number of years
 
 Use this given info
 "Ali invests $14,800 in an account that earns interest compounded semi-annually for 8 years...which amounts to $17,063.24"
 to determine:
 A = 17063.24
 P = 14800
 r = unknown
 n = 2
 t = 8
 
 A = P*(1+r/n)^(n*t)
 17063.24 = 14800*(1+r/2)^(2*8)
 17063.24 = 14800*(1+r/2)^16
 17063.24/14800 = (1+r/2)^16
 1.15292162 = (1+r/2)^16
 (1+r/2)^16 = 1.15292162
 1+r/2 = (1.15292162)^(1/16)
 1+r/2 = 1.00893337
 r/2 = 1.00893337-1
 r/2 = 0.00893337
 r = 2*0.00893337
 r = 0.01786674
 r = 0.01787
 The first account has an annual rate of about 1.787%
 
 
 For the 2nd account, Ali has:
 A = 18846.11
 P = 17063.24
 r = unknown
 n = 4
 t = 6
 
 Caution: The instructions mention After the 14 years, but we will not use t = 14 for the 2nd account.
 The money sits in the 2nd account for 6 years and not 14.
 The 14 refers to 8 years + 6 years = 14 years total.
 
 I'll skip the steps (since they will be similar to the ones shown above), but you should get r = 0.0166 to represent an annual rate of approximately 1.66%
 
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