Final answer:
To accumulate $22,500 from a $20,000 investment at a 3% annual interest rate, it would take approximately 4 years, based on the future value formula and logarithmic calculations.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many years it will take to accumulate $22,500 at an annual interest rate of 3%, you use the future value formula, which is:
Future Value = Principal × (1 + interest rate)time
We know the Future Value ($22,500), the Principal ($20,000), and the interest rate (3% or 0.03). We need to find the time (number of years). We can rearrange the formula to solve for time:
time = log(Future Value / Principal) / log(1 + interest rate)
Substituting the given values:
time = log($22,500 / $20,000) / log(1 + 0.03)
time = log(1.125) / log(1.03)
time ≈ 3.89
The closest whole number of years would be 4 years, since you cannot accumulate fractional parts of a year. Therefore, it will take approximately 4 years to accumulate the required amount of $22,500 using a 3% interest rate compounded annually.