Question:
Tim wants to invest some money in a bank which compounds quarterly with an annual interest rate of $7\%$. To the nearest dollar, how much money should he invest if he wants a total of $\$60,\!000$ at the end of $5$ years?

Answer:
Recall the formula $A=P\left(1+\frac{r}{n}\right)^{nt}$, where $A$ is the end balance, $P$ is the principal, $r$ is the interest rate, $t$ is the number of years, and $n$ is the number of times the interest is compounded in a year. This formula represents the idea that the interest is compounded every $1/n$ years with the rate of $r/n$.

Substituting the given information, we have \[60,\!000=P\left(1+\frac{0.07}{4}\right)^{4 \cdot 5}.\]Solving for $P$ gives  $P=42409.474...$, which rounded to the nearest dollar is $\boxed{\$42409}$.