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Getteral09

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Hey can anyone help me with this superannuation question? I can't seem to get to the answer:

A school invests $5000 at the end of each year at 6% p.a towards a new library. How much will the school have after 10 years?
 
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There's a formula you can memorise for this type of question but I think it makes much more sense to make a series

1st year: 5000


2nd: 5000 * 1.06 + 5000 (add interest to first, then add the $5000)

= 5000(1+1.06)

3rd: 5000(1+1.06) * 1.06 + 5000

= 5000(1+1.06+1.06^2)

So you've found a general pattern here, do you mind if I skip steps?

10th: 5000(1+1.06+1.06^2 + ....... + 1.06^9) <---that's an arithmetic series so you can simplify that

= 5000 [ (1.06^10) -1] / [1.06-1]

= 5000 [ (1.06^10) -1] / 0.06

= $ 65904 (nearest dollar)

Hope that helps, correct where necessary if necessary. :wave:
 

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Getteral09 said:
Hey can anyone help me with this superannuation question? I can't seem to get to the answer:

A school invests $5000 at the end of each year at 6% p.a towards a new library. How much will the school have after 10 years?
yeah i had problems with that.

i figured out why today. it's at the end of the year, not beginning.

so pretty much what watatank did...

except i do it a little differently.

i find it easier to seperate it all.

5000 per year for 10 years at the end of each year means, really, they're only getting interest for NINE years, not ten.

so find the sum of the interest rates (geometric series - see watatank's post) but to the power of 9 not 10.
then times this sum-of-geometric series by 5000 to give you the total of 9yrs worth.
now just add another 5000 for the 10th year which didn't earn any interest.


not sure if i make sense. if i dont, lemme know, i'll type up the working out, you can look at that.
 

Getteral09

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i try doing it on 9 yrs but i can't seem to get the answer as Watatank. Can u plz type up the working out?

That'll be great!^^
 
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k02033 said:
umm .. the 1st 5000 stays for 10 yrs
so 5000(1.06)^10
2nd 5000 invested stays for 9 yrs
so 5000(1.06)^9
and so on till the last yr which is
5000(1.06)^1
so the total is given by 5000(1.06+1.06^2+.....1.06^10)
Sn= a(r^n-1)/r-1
where a = 1.06 r = 1.06 n = 10
this gives Sn = 13.97.....
mutiply by 5000 = 69858.21...
Incorrect. Yes the first 5000 stays for ten years but the interest is added only after the second year, and gets added on for 9 more years....hence this part being 5000(1.06)^9, so the whole working out is out of whack.
 

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Getteral09 said:
i try doing it on 9 yrs but i can't seem to get the answer as Watatank. Can u plz type up the working out?

That'll be great!^^
A school invests $5000 at the end of each year at 6% p.a towards a new library. How much will the school have after 10 years?

At the end of year one it has put $5000 in the bank, at an interest rate of 6% to be gained over 9 years.

Amount1: 5000 x (1.06)^9

At the end of the 2nd year, it has put 5000$ in the bank, at an interest rate of 6% to be gained over 8 years (forget about amount 1 at this point)

2nd year: 5000 x (1.06) ^8

as we continue ...we'll eventually get
9th year: 5000 x (1.06) [only one year of interest left]
10th year: 5000 [no interest gained since the amount has been put at the end of the year]

so we now have 10 seperate amounts.
what we want is the total.

if we add all the amounts together we'll get:

[5000(1.06)^9] + [5000(1.06)^8] ...... + 5000

5000 is a common factor so we can take it out.

= 5000 ( 1.06^9 + 1.06^8 + 1.06^7 .....1)

if you forget this 5000...the bit in the brackets is actually a geometric series.

we can get its total sum.

at this stage what i do is forget about the last term for a while...ie the one with no interest, becoz essentially the 10th year = 5000 + (1.06) ^ 0

and in a geometric series when you add them all up using the Sn formula, its easier to start with the first term not the zeroth term.

Sum of 9 terms = [1.06 (1.06^9 - 1) ]/(1.06 - 1) using formula

suppose the answer to that is X (i cbb using the calculator - sorry :eek:)

so the sum of the 9 terms = X.

multiply that by the 5000 forgot about a little while back

so: 5000X

now since you also forgot about the 10th term, add that back on, so you get

5000X + 5000

should work :)

p.s bits in bold is the working you're meant to show, all the rest was just for explanation sake

hth
 

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