Savings of 1500 dollars earn 4% simple interest per year for 3 years. Which calculation does NOT give the final total by the simple-interest method?

Explication

Simple interest is 1500 × 0.04 × 3 = 180, so the final total is 1680. Multiplying by 1.04 three times gives more than 1680 and incorrectly treats each year's interest as part of the next year's base.