Official Solution: An investor deposits $62,500 in a one-year savings certificate that earns \(p\) percent annual interest, compounded quarterly. What is the value of \(p\)? (1) Over the one-year term, the certificate earns $152.01 more interest than it would have earned if the same annual interest rate had been applied as simple interest.
Let \(r = \frac{p}{100}\) be the annual interest rate in decimal form.
The interest earned with quarterly compounding is:
\(62,500\left[\left(1 + \frac{r}{4}\right)^4 - 1\right]\)
The simple interest earned is:
\(62,500r\)
So the difference is:
\(62,500\left[\left(1 + \frac{r}{4}\right)^4 - 1 - r\right]\)
For a positive interest rate, this difference increases as \(r\) increases, so an exact difference determines a unique value of \(r\).
In fact, when \(r = 0.08\):
\(62,500\left[(1.02)^4 - 1 - 0.08\right] = 152.01\)
Thus, \(p = 8\).
Sufficient.
(2) The interest credited at the end of the first quarter is $1,250.
Since the first-quarter interest is $1,250 on a deposit of $62,500, the quarterly interest rate is:
\(\frac{1,250}{62,500} = 0.02 = 2\%\)
So the annual interest rate is:
\(4 * 2\% = 8\%\)
Thus, \(p = 8\).
Sufficient.
Answer: D