Example

Solving for Simple Interest Earned on Areli's Investment

Apply the problem-solving strategy to find the simple interest earned given the principal, rate of interest, and time.

Problem: Areli invested a principal of $950 in her bank account that earned simple interest at an interest rate of 3%3\%. How much interest did she earn in 55 years?

  1. Identify what to find: the simple interest.
  2. Name the unknown: Let II = interest.
  3. Translate into an equation using the simple interest formula I=PrtI = Prt. Given P=950P = 950, r=0.03r = 0.03, and t=5t = 5: I=(950)(0.03)(5)I = (950)(0.03)(5)
  4. Solve the equation: I=142.5I = 142.5
  5. Check the result: Is $142.50 a reasonable amount of interest on $950? Yes.
  6. Answer: The interest is $142.50.

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Updated 2026-05-02

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