The problem states:

Evan invested $2500 in the stock market. Four months later, the value of the investment dropped to $2248. Find the average monthly change in the value of the investment.

Solution:

To find the average monthly change, we calculate the total change in value and then divide it by the number of months:

1. Initial value: $2500

2. Final value: $2248

3. Total change: $2500 - 2248 = 252$ The investment decreased by $252 over 4 months.

4. Average monthly change: $\frac{252}{4} = 63$ So, the average monthly change in value is a decrease of $63.

Would you like more details or further explanation?

Here are some related questions for deeper understanding:

1. How do you calculate the percentage decrease in the value of the investment?
2. If the investment continued decreasing at the same rate, what would its value be after 6 months?
3. Can the average change be positive if the investment had increased?
4. How would the solution change if Evan invested more money halfway through the 4 months?
5. How does this concept apply to real-world investments over time?

Tip: Always track how long investments are held to accurately measure gains or losses.