Final answer:
The goodwill resulting from the acquisition of a 20% interest in Nodus, Inc. for $600,000, when the fair value of its net assets was $2,500,000, is $500,000.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student purchased a 20% interest in Nodus, Inc. for $600,000 when the book value of Nodus' net assets was $2,000,000, and the fair value was $2,500,000. To determine the amount of goodwill resulting from the acquisition, we first calculate the implied total value of Nodus, Inc. based on the purchase price. Given that a 20% interest cost $600,000, the total implied value is ($600,000 / 0.2) = $3,000,000.
The next step is to compare the implied total value of $3,000,000 to the fair value of the net assets at the time of purchase, which is $2,500,000. The excess of the implied total valuation over the fair value of net assets represents goodwill. In this case, goodwill equals ($3,000,000 - $2,500,000) = $500,000, which corresponds to option b. Therefore, the amount of goodwill resulting from this acquisition is $500,000.