You put $500 in an account that earns 4.5% simple interest. Find the balance in the account after 3 years.

that would be

500(1 + 0.045*3) = _________

Interest = Principal times rate times time

I = 500 * 0.045 * 3

Add the interest to the principal.

To find the balance in the account after 3 years with simple interest, we need to use the formula:

Balance = Principal + (Principal * Rate * Time)

Where:
- Balance is the final amount in the account
- Principal is the initial amount you put into the account ($500 in this case)
- Rate is the interest rate per year (4.5% in this case)
- Time is the number of years the money is invested (3 years in this case)

Let's plug in the values into the formula:

Balance = $500 + ($500 * 0.045 * 3)

Calculating the expression inside the parentheses first:

Balance = $500 + ($500 * 0.135)

Now, let's multiply:

Balance = $500 + $67.50

Adding the two amounts together:

Balance = $567.50

Therefore, the balance in the account after 3 years will be $567.50.