Final answer:
The total interest expense for the Marx Company's bonds for the year ended December 31, 2010 is $12,000, calculated by adding two semiannual interest payments of $6,000 each.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking for the total interest expense related to the Marx Company's bonds for the year ended December 31, 2010. Since the bonds issued are at a 12% annual interest rate with a face value of $100,000, and interest is paid semiannually, we first calculate the semiannual interest payment which is $100,000 x 12% / 2 = $6,000 per six months. There will be two interest payments made in 2010: one on July 1 and another on January 1. Accumulating the interest payments for the year, we get $6,000 + $6,000, which sums up to a total interest expense of $12,000 for the year ended December 31, 2010.
The total interest expense related to these bonds for the year ended December 31, 2010 can be calculated by multiplying the face value of the bonds by the interest rate. In this case, the face value of the bonds is $100,000 and the interest rate is 12%. So the total interest expense would be $100,000 x 12% = $12,000.