For the same principal, rate and a period of one year, compound interest compounded annually is:
- Always greater than simple interest
- Always less than simple interest
- Equal to simple interest
- Exactly double the simple interest
Show answer and solution
Correct answer: C. Equal to simple interest
1. Compounding only bites when interest is charged on interest already added.
2. Over a single year no interest has yet been added to the principal.
3. So the base for the whole year is the original principal in both methods.
4. The two therefore give the same figure at the end of one year.
5. From the second year onward, compound interest pulls ahead because the base has grown.
_Source: syllabus Maths, Ch 7 'Comparing Quantities', S7.4 Compound Interest_