# Compound Interest & Exponential Growth

Interactive visualization of compound interest, the Rule of 72, and the surprising power of exponential growth

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/visualizations/compound-interest

- **Category:** Math

## Overview

Interactive visualization of compound interest, the Rule of 72, and the surprising power of exponential growth. Compare compound vs simple vs linear growth side-by-side with adjustable parameters: principal P ($100-$1M), annual rate r (0.1%-30%), years t (1-80), compounding frequency (annual/quarterly/monthly/daily/continuous), and optional monthly contributions. Four synchronized views: (1) Growth curves showing compound, simple interest, and linear trajectories with doubling markers; (2) Interest gap chart highlighting the accelerating difference between compound and simple interest; (3) Logarithmic scale view revealing exponential growth as a straight line; (4) Stacked area wealth breakdown separating contributions from earned interest. The Rule of 72 panel shows approximate vs exact doubling time with error percentage. Statistics track final values, multiplier, number of doublings, and gap vs simple interest. Education covers the compound interest formula, the Rule of 72 derivation and accuracy, why exponential growth is counterintuitive (lily pond puzzle), retirement savings (early bird advantage), credit card debt traps, inflation as hidden tax, exponential growth bias (Stango & Zinman 2009), present bias and discounting, and teaching exponential thinking through stories. 8 languages (zh, en, es, fr, de, ru, pt, ja).

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