In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Interest can be calculated for loans or for investments.  For a loan, interest is the amount paid to the creditor for granting the loan to you. For an investment, interest is income that the investment earns.  Interest for a loan is usually expressed as an annual percentage rate, which is the annual rate that is charged for borrowing the money.  Interest on an investment is usually expressed as a percentage.  The two main types of interest that can be applied to loans are simple and compound interest. Simple interest is calculated by multiplying the interest by the principal by the number of periods. Compound interest, however, is the most commonly used method of applying interest to a loan or investment. Compound interest is interest calculated on the original principal plus interest calculated on the accumulated interest from previous accounting periods. The rate at which the interest accrues, or accumulates over time, depends on how often the interest is compounded. Interest can be compounded annually, monthly or quarterly.  Compound interest is not beneficial for those in debt. If a person carries a credit card balance on a high-interest credit card for which the interest is compounded monthly, the interest payments alone could be hundreds of dollars per month.  Compound interest is advantageous to investors, because the interest that is earned each accounting period gets added back to the principal and earns more money for the investor. The annual compound interest formula is P(1+i)n−P{\displaystyle P(1+i)^{n}-P}.  In this formula, P = Principal, i = annual interest rate in percentage terms, and n = number of compounding periods. If the interest is compounded more than once per year, such as monthly (12 times per year) or quarterly (four times per year), the formula must be adjusted, The formula for compound interest that is compounded multiple times per year is [P(1+i/n)n∗t]−P{\displaystyle [P(1+i/n)^{n*t}]-P}. In this formula, P = Principal, i = interest rate, n = number of compounding periods, and t = the number of years for which the money is invested or borrowed. You can use the rule of 72 to figure out how long it will take to double your money on an investment that is earning compound interest. Divide 72 by the annual interest rate your investment is earning. The answer will tell you how many years it will take for your investment to double in value.  For example, if your investment is earning a 3 percent interest rate, calculate how long it will take to double your money using the equation 72/3=24{\displaystyle 72/3=24}. In 24 years, your investment will have doubled in value. Interest rates on investments do fluctuate, so the rule of 72 should be used as a tool for estimating the future value of your investments.
Summary: Understand the meaning of interest. Define compound interest. Learn the formula for compound interest. Understand the Rule of 72.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: One of the easiest and quickest ways to increase the strength in your hands is to do simple grip exercises. Do a few sets of 30 to 50 grips in each hand with a grip or ball of your choice.  Stress balls are usually palm-sized balls that you can squeeze to exercise your hand. Don't have one? Use a tennis ball. Spring grips, stretchy bands, spring-gloves, and other hand-exercisers are common on the market. Check out what's available at a sporting goods store in your area, or online. Baoding balls are Chinese stress-relief balls that can be used to exercise your hands. To use them, you rotate two balls around in your palm. They make nice sounds and help you exercise your hands. Wrist-strengthening exercises have the added benefit of increasing your grip strength, as you hold the weight that you're using. You can do wrist-strengthening with bands, hand-weights, or other household items.   Hand weights:Grip a small amount of weight (3 to 5 pounds) in each hand, your palm facing toward the ground. Flex your elbow up so your arm comes out straight, letting your wrist hang down. Flex your wrist slowly, making your arm straight. Then let it back down slowly. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps with each hand. If you don't have hand-weights, use cans of soup, bricks, or any other hand-sized objects.  Exercise bands:Stand on one end of the band and grip the band with your hand, palm facing down. Lift your arm until it comes out straight, then flex your wrist slowly as you grip the band, making your arm straight. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps with each hand. If you're in relatively good shape but still struggle with slightly fatty fingers, start doing more advanced push-ups. Instead of doing push-ups with your palms flat on the floor, do them with your palms raised and your weight on your fingertips. Shoot for doing a few sets of 5 to 10 reps. Do a couple more sets of regular push-ups in addition to your fingertip push-ups. Push-ups help to strengthen your wrists and your pectorals, both good for all-around upper body strength and weight loss. Dexterity is your ability to use your fingers and hands to perform complex tasks quickly. It's just as important to hand health as strength. To work on your fine motor skills, you can exercise your dexterity, doing hand and finger-oriented tasks on a regular basis.  How many words a minute can you type? If you're still hunting and pecking, check out this wikiHow article to learn more about typing more comfortably. Playing an instrument, especially piano, violin, or guitar, but also certain woodwinds like flute, clarinet, and other instruments, are all excellent for working on your fine motor skills. Never learned? Good time to start. There's some debate about whether or not cracking your knuckles is harmless or harmful. Many people, however, think that cracking knuckles leads to "fat" knuckles. Since there's little to be gained from cracking your knuckles, it can't hurt to stop. While there's no data to suggest that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis or significant knuckle swelling, some research seems to suggest a connection between long-term knuckle-cracking and decreased grip strength.
Summary: Do grip exercises. Do wrist exercises. Do finger push-ups. Work on your dexterity. Stop cracking your knuckles.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: You should cut the stems at an angle while submerged in either a basin of water or running water. Exposing the cut end of your flower to open air can be damaging, especially since this is one of the points when flower tissue is most hungry for water. Additionally, you should try to cut your flowers in the early morning or late evening, as these are the best times to cut flowers. If you notice that your flowers, when cut, exude a milky liquid, you can prolong the life of these with a quick boil in water. Soak the bottom two inches of your cut stems in boiling water for ten seconds before putting into a vase. Two common flowers that can benefit from boiling are poinsettias and poppies. If your flowers have leaves all the way down the stem, these can rot in your water and cause mold to grow. Remove all leaves on your stems that will be below the waterline. You can determine whether your water is hard or not by noting mineral deposits on facets and kettles. These will often look like a white, scaly film when dry. If this is the case at your home, your plants will fare better with demineralized water, to which you can add vase preservative. Demineralized water is sold at most supermarkets and should be used in your vase solutions as well if you have hard water. Your homemade plant preservative will likely work even more effectively than commercial recipes, but these are an easy to use and inexpensive substitute if you lack the ingredients for the DIY recipe. Many times, a commercial preservative requires only a clean vase and warm water, though you should always follow the directions on the packet.
Summary:
Cut your flowers under water. Boil the stems of flowers with sap. Prune leaves below the water line. Use demineralized water if you have hard water. Add a commercial vase preservative to your water.