Final answer:
Meg will earn $1946.25 in simple interest after 5 years by applying the formula I = PRT, where P is $8650, R is 4.5% (0.045), and T is 5 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of simple interest Meg will earn after 5 years, we can use the formula for simple interest, which is:
I = PRT
where:
- I represents the interest,
- P represents the principal amount (initial amount of money),
- R is the interest rate (expressed as a decimal), and
- T is the time in years.
In Meg's case, the principal amount P is $8650, the interest rate R is 4.5% (or 0.045 when expressed as a decimal), and the time T is 5 years. Substituting these values into the simple interest formula gives us:
I = 8650 * 0.045 * 5
Performing the calculation:
I = $1946.25
Therefore, Meg will have earned $1946.25 in simple interest after 5 years.