Final answer:
The principal of the loan is approximately $47,052.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the principal of a loan, we can use the formula:
Principal = Total amount / (1 + interest rate/number of compounding periods) ^ (number of compounding periods * number of years)
In this case, the total amount is $98,000, the interest rate is 4.1% (or 0.041 in decimal form), and the loan is compounded monthly (so there are 12 compounding periods per year). Plugging in these values, we can calculate the principal:
Principal = $98,000 / (1 + 0.041/12) ^ (12 * 35) = $47,052
Therefore, the principal of the loan is approximately $47,052.