1. **State the problem:** We have an account with an initial principal of $2000$ that earns simple interest at a rate of 4% per year. We want to find the total amount in the account after 4 years if no other deposits or withdrawals are made. 2. **Formula for simple interest:** The total amount $A$ after $t$ years with simple interest is given by: $$A = P(1 + rt)$$ where: - $P$ is the principal (initial amount), - $r$ is the annual interest rate (in decimal), - $t$ is the time in years. 3. **Convert the interest rate:** 4% as a decimal is $r = 0.04$. 4. **Plug in the values:** $$A = 2000(1 + 0.04 \times 4)$$ 5. **Calculate inside the parentheses:** $$1 + 0.04 \times 4 = 1 + 0.16 = 1.16$$ 6. **Multiply to find the total amount:** $$A = 2000 \times 1.16 = 2320$$ 7. **Answer:** After 4 years, the account will have $2320$ dollars.