Finance · real student question

Solve (1 + x) to the 10th power = 1.1207.

Question

Solve (1+x)10=1.1207(1+x)^{10}=1.1207 for xx.

Step-by-step solution

  1. Read the equation as a growth statement. A quantity has grown by a factor of 1.12071.1207 (that is, 12.07%12.07\%) over 1010 equal periods, and xx is the rate applied in each one. The unknown is trapped inside a 1010th power, so a root is the inverse operation.

  2. Take the 10th root of both sides. 1+x=1.12071/10=1.120710.1+x = 1.1207^{1/10} = \sqrt[10]{1.1207}. Only the positive root is admissible, since 1+x1+x must be positive for a growth factor.

  3. Compute the root with natural logarithms. ln1.1207=0.11395349\ln 1.1207 = 0.11395349, so 110ln1.1207=0.01139535\tfrac{1}{10}\ln 1.1207 = 0.01139535 and 1+x=e0.01139535=1.01146052.1+x = e^{0.01139535} = 1.01146052.

  4. Solve for x. x=1.011460521=0.011460521.1461% per period.x = 1.01146052 - 1 = 0.01146052 \approx 1.1461\%\ \text{per period}.

  5. Verify by compounding. 1.0114605210=1.1207001.01146052^{10} = 1.120700, which returns the given factor, confirming the answer.

  6. Compare with the 20-period rate. Halving the number of periods roughly doubles the rate: 0.00571394×2=0.011427880.00571394 \times 2 = 0.01142788 versus the exact 0.011460520.01146052. The tiny excess is the compounding correction - rates do not scale exactly linearly with the period count.

Answer

x=1.12071/1010.01146052 (1.1461% per period)x = 1.1207^{1/10} - 1 \approx 0.01146052 \ (\approx 1.1461\%\text{ per period})

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