Final answer:
Cecilia's monthly payment for the loan with an 18-month term and a 14.5% annual interest rate will be approximately $103.87.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Cecilia gets a loan for a new transmission, she's presented with a repayment plan that involves an 18-month loan at 14.5% interest with 18 equal payments. To calculate the monthly payment, we use the formula for an amortizing loan which is:
P = (Pr * r) / (1 - (1 + r)^(-n))
Where:
- P is the monthly payment
- Pr is the principal amount ($1840)
- r is the monthly interest rate (14.5% annual rate divided by 12 months)
- n is the total number of payments (18)
Calculating the monthly interest rate: r = 14.5% / 12 = 1.2083% or 0.012083 (in decimal form)
Plugging in the values into the formula:
P = (1840 * 0.012083) / (1 - (1 + 0.012083)^(-18))
Carrying out the calculation:
P = ($22.23) / (1 - (1.012083)^(-18))
Calculating the denominator (rounded to two decimal places for each step as required):
P = $22.23 / (1 - 0.78599)
P = $22.23 / 0.21401
P = $103.87
Therefore, Cecilia's monthly payment will be approximately $103.87.