Final answer:
To find the average interest Lucy should earn in each of the next 3 years, subtract the sum of her previous earnings from the total earnings over the 5-year period and divide by the number of years. Therefore, she should aim to earn an average interest of $283.33 in each of the next 3 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the average interest Lucy should earn in each of the next 3 years, we need to consider her total earnings over the 5-year period. From the given information, we know that Lucy earned $400 and $550 in interest the last 2 years. To have a total earnings of $2300 over the 5-year period, we can use the formula:
Average Interest = (Total Earnings - Sum of Previous Earnings) / Number of Years
Plugging in the values, we get:
Average Interest = (2300 - (400 + 550)) / 3
Average Interest = 850 / 3
Average Interest = $283.33
Therefore, Lucy should aim to earn an average interest of $283.33 in each of the next 3 years to have a total earnings of at least $2300 over the 5-year period.