Next | Tricks of the Wizards | 161 |
Example: Financial computations
A principal P invested for time N at rate of return i grows to:
$F = $P * (1+$i)**$N ;
Question: How long before I have a million dollars?
(Given F, P, and i, compute N)
The math expert down the hall says that the derivative is
$P * (1+$i)**$N * log(1+$i)
Looks nasty, but that's OK, just plug it in
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