Step 1 :Given that the initial investment (PV) is $2500, the annual interest rate for the Continental Bank (r_cont) is 6.9%, the annual interest rate for TD Canada Trust (r_td) is 6.83%, the number of times that interest is compounded per year for the Continental Bank (n_cont) is 1, the number of times that interest is compounded per year for TD Canada Trust (n_td) is 4, and the number of years the money is invested for (t) is 2.
Step 2 :Calculate the future value (FV) for both banks using the formula: \(FV = PV * (1 + r/n)^{nt}\).
Step 3 :For the Continental Bank, \(FV_{cont} = 2500 * (1 + 0.069/1)^{1*2} = 2856.9024999999997\).
Step 4 :For TD Canada Trust, \(FV_{td} = 2500 * (1 + 0.0683/4)^{4*2} = 2862.6209382380202\).
Step 5 :Subtract the initial investment from the future value to find the interest earned for both banks.
Step 6 :For the Continental Bank, the interest earned is \(interest_{cont} = 2856.9024999999997 - 2500 = 356.9024999999997\).
Step 7 :For TD Canada Trust, the interest earned is \(interest_{td} = 2862.6209382380202 - 2500 = 362.62093823802024\).
Step 8 :TD Canada Trust earns more interest, so it is the better investment.
Step 9 :Calculate the difference in the amount of interest between the two banks: \(interest_{diff} = 362.62093823802024 - 356.9024999999997 = 5.718438238020553\).
Step 10 :\(\boxed{\text{(a) TD Canada Trust}}\)
Step 11 :\(\boxed{\text{(b) $5.72}}\)