Final answer:
To calculate the monthly interest rate from a $3,200 investment that grows to $6,527.64 in 36 months, use the formula A = P(1 + r)^n and solve for r. The formula rearranges to r = (A/P)^(1/n) - 1. Plugging the values into this equation will yield the monthly interest rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks to calculate the interest per monthly period on a bank account that was initially invested with $3,200 and grew to $6,527.64 over 36 months. To solve this, we first need to understand the concept of compound interest, which is the interest calculated on the initial principal and also on the accumulated interest of previous periods of a deposit or loan.
Let's denote the initial principal by P, the final amount by A, the interest rate per period by r, and the number of periods by n. The formula for compound interest is:
A = P(1 + r)^n
In this question:
- P = $3,200
- A = $6,527.64
- n = 36 (since it's over 36 months)
To find the monthly interest rate (r), we rearrange the formula to solve for r:
r = (A/P)^(1/n) - 1
Plugging in the values, we get:
r = ($6,527.64 / $3,200)^(1/36) - 1
After calculating the value, we'll get the interest rate per monthly period. It's important to note that in situations like this, the value is expressed as a decimal, not a percentage. To express it as a percentage, you would need to multiply the decimal by 100.