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A bank account pays 0.5% monthly interest. If $500 is put in the account, what will the balance (dollars and cents) be at the end of one year, assuming no additional deposits or withdrawals are made?

User Seasong
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The balance of a bank account with a $500 initial deposit and a 0.5% monthly interest rate at the end of one year would be approximately $503.09.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the balance of a bank account with monthly interest, we utilize the compound interest formula rather than the simple interest formula outlined in the given examples.

Starting with an initial deposit of $500 in an account with a monthly interest rate of 0.5%, and assuming there are no additional deposits or withdrawals for one year, we can use the formula for compound interest:

A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt)

Where:

  • A is the amount of money accumulated after n years, including interest.
  • P is the principal amount (the initial amount of money).
  • r is the annual interest rate (decimal).
  • n is the number of times that interest is compounded per year.
  • t is the time in years.

So for our calculation:

  • P = $500
  • r = 0.5% per month, which is 0.005 in decimal.
  • n = 12 (since interest is compounded monthly)
  • t = 1 (since we are calculating for one year)

The formula becomes:

A = $500(1 + 0.005/12)^(12*1)

After doing the math:

A = $500(1 + 0.00041667)^(12)

A = $500(1.00041667)^(12)

A = $500 * 1.00617 (approximately)

A = $503.09

The balance at the end of one year would be approximately $503.09.

User ChrisBratherton
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