Math  /  Calculus

QuestionHow long will it take for an invertment to triple, if intcrest is compounded continously at 4 t - ?
It will take? years before the invectment trives
Round to the reares tentn of a year

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? How long does it take for an investment to triple if it grows continuously at a rate of 4%? Watch out! Remember continuous compounding uses a special formula, not the usual compound interest one!
Also, don't forget to convert the percentage to a decimal.

STEP 2

1. Set up the continuous compound interest formula.
2. Solve for time.

STEP 3

The formula for continuous compound interest is A=Pert A = Pe^{rt} , where AA is the **final amount**, PP is the **principal** (initial investment), rr is the **interest rate** (as a decimal), and tt is the **time** in years.

STEP 4

We want the investment to **triple**, so the final amount (AA) will be **three times** the principal (PP).
We can write this as A=3P A = 3P .
The interest rate is **4%**, which as a decimal is r=0.04 r = 0.04 .

STEP 5

Let's plug these values into our formula: 3P=Pe0.04t 3P = Pe^{0.04t} .

STEP 6

Notice that we can divide both sides of the equation 3P=Pe0.04t 3P = Pe^{0.04t} by PP.
This gives us 3=e0.04t 3 = e^{0.04t} .
See! The initial amount invested doesn't actually matter, we just care about tripling it!

STEP 7

To get tt out of the exponent, we'll take the natural logarithm (ln) of both sides: ln(3)=ln(e0.04t) \ln(3) = \ln(e^{0.04t}) .
Remember, the natural logarithm is the inverse of the exponential function, so they undo each other.

STEP 8

Using the property ln(ab)=bln(a) \ln(a^b) = b\cdot\ln(a) , we can simplify the right side of the equation: ln(3)=0.04tln(e) \ln(3) = 0.04t \cdot \ln(e) .
Since ln(e)=1 \ln(e) = 1 (because *e* to the power of 1 equals *e*), we get ln(3)=0.04t \ln(3) = 0.04t .

STEP 9

Now, we can isolate tt by dividing both sides by 0.040.04: t=ln(3)0.04 t = \frac{\ln(3)}{0.04} .

STEP 10

Using a calculator, we find that ln(3)1.0986 \ln(3) \approx 1.0986 .
So, t1.09860.0427.465 t \approx \frac{1.0986}{0.04} \approx 27.465 .

STEP 11

Rounding to the nearest tenth gives us t27.5 t \approx 27.5 years.

STEP 12

It will take approximately **27.5 years** for the investment to triple.

Was this helpful?

Studdy solves anything!

banner

Start learning now

Download Studdy AI Tutor now. Learn with ease and get all help you need to be successful at school.

ParentsInfluencer programContactPolicyTerms
TwitterInstagramFacebookTikTokDiscord