Felipe transferred a balance of [tex]\[tex]$3700[/tex] to a new credit card at the beginning of the year. The card offered an introductory APR of [tex]5.9\%[/tex] for the first 4 months and a standard APR of [tex]17.2\%[/tex] thereafter. If the card compounds interest monthly, which of these expressions represents Felipe's balance at the end of the year? (Assume that Felipe will make no payments or new purchases during the year, and ignore any possible late payment fees.)

A. [tex](\$[/tex] 3700)\left(1+\frac{0.059}{12}\right)^4\left(1+\frac{0.172}{12}\right)^8[/tex]

B. [tex](\[tex]$ 3700)\left(1+\frac{0.059}{4}\right)^{12}\left(1+\frac{0.172}{8}\right)^{12}[/tex]

C. [tex](\$[/tex] 3700)\left(1+\frac{0.059}{4}\right)^4\left(1+\frac{0.172}{8}\right)^8[/tex]

D. [tex](\$ 3700)\left(1+\frac{0.059}{12}\right)^{12}\left(1+\frac{0.172}{12}\right)^{12}[/tex]



Answer :

To determine which expression represents Felipe's balance at the end of the year, we need to perform a series of calculations accounting for both the introductory annual percentage rate (APR) and the standard APR after the introductory period, with monthly compounding. Let's break this down step-by-step:

1. Initial Balance: Felipe starts with a balance of \[tex]$3700. 2. Introductory APR (first 4 months): - The introductory APR is 5.9%. - Monthly interest rate during this period is \( \frac{5.9\%}{12} = \frac{0.059}{12} \). 3. Compounding for the Introductory Period (first 4 months): - We need to calculate the balance after these 4 months of compounding. - The expression to calculate the balance after 4 months is: \[ \text{Balance after 4 months} = 3700 \times \left(1 + \frac{0.059}{12}\right)^4 \] - Calculated balance after 4 months: \( \$[/tex] 3773.305 \).

4. Standard APR (remaining 8 months):
- The standard APR is 17.2%.
- Monthly interest rate for the remaining period is [tex]\( \frac{17.2\%}{12} = \frac{0.172}{12} \)[/tex].

5. Compounding for the Remaining Period (next 8 months):
- We now need to calculate the balance after the remaining 8 months starting from the balance obtained after the introductory period.
- The expression to calculate the balance after the 8 months of compounding is:
[tex]\[ \text{Final balance} = 3773.305 \times \left(1 + \frac{0.172}{12}\right)^8 \][/tex]
- Calculated final balance: [tex]\( \$ 4228.317 \)[/tex].

6. Combining Both Periods:
- The overall expression combining both compounding periods is:
[tex]\[ \$ 3700 \times \left(1 + \frac{0.059}{12}\right)^4 \times \left(1 + \frac{0.172}{12}\right)^8 \][/tex]

Thus, the expression that correctly represents Felipe's balance at the end of the year is:
[tex]\[ A. (\$ 3700)\left(1+\frac{0.059}{12}\right)^4\left(1+\frac{0.172}{12}\right)^8 \][/tex]

Therefore, option A is the correct answer.

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