ECON1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Variable Cost, Normal Good, Fixed Cost

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MICROECONOMICS: The study of individual firms within the market opposed to the entire

economy

NORMATIVE ANALYSIS: An analysis that makes recommendations about economic policies

POSITIVE ANALYSIS: An analysis that explains what and why things happen within the

economy, without making recommendations.

SCARCITY: Resources are finite, but wants are unlimited, therefore people must compromise

and make decisions.

●RATIONAL DECISION MAKING: It it rational to pursue an action if benefits>costs

MARGINAL COST: The additional cost of producing one more unit of a good/service.

MARGINAL BENEFIT: The additional benefit of consuming one more unit of a good/service.

● THINKING ON THE MARGIN: If MB>MC, it is rational to take an action

OPPORTUNITY COST: The value of the next best alternative forgone.

GAINS FROM TRADE

● BETTER ALLOCATION: A reallocation of goods in a way that is better off for all parties

involved (voluntary exchange).

● GREATER PRODUCTION: In the instance where greater production is available, each

party specializes in the activity in which they have the comparative advantage (lower

OC), then trade their goods/services within the market.

● ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE: When a person/country is more efficient in producing a

good/service than another.

● COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: When a person/country can produce one good more

efficiently than another good (lower OC), compared to another person/country.

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PRODUCTION POSSIBILITIES CURVE:

Curve that shows the possible combinations of the production of two goods, given that the

economy’s resources are scarce, as well as the level of technology (represents a trade off).

● Output bundles along the PPC are efficient

● Output bundles within the PPC are inefficient

● Output bundles beyond the PPC are impossible

Investing more in investment goods than consumption goods will allow the PPC to

expand over time as technology growth allows for a greater production of goods.

DEMAND

The relationship between price and the quantity demanded (the quantity consumers are

willing to buy at a specific time given a price)

LAW OF DEMAND: P increases, QD decreases (negatively related)

Changing the price of a good will cause a movement along the demand curve. All other

factors will cause the demand curve to shift.

SHIFTS IN DEMAND:

● Demand increases -> demand curve shifts right

● Demand decreases -> demand curve shifts left

CONSUMER INCOME: As consumer income changes, the goods/services they

purchase changes

● Inferior Goods:



Goods for which as income increases, demand decreases. (ie

homebrand foods)

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● Normal Goods:



Goods for which as income increases, demand increases. (ie

jewellery)

CHANGE IN PRICE OF CLOSELY RELATED GOODS

Substitute Goods: Two goods that are substitutes for each other (ie, different brands)

X price increases = Y demand increases

Complementary Goods: Two goods that are consumed together (ie, printers and ink

cartridges)

X price increases= Y demand decreases

SUPPLY

The relationship between price and quantity supplied (the quantity of a good firms are

willing to produce at a given price)

LAW OF SUPPLY: Price increases, QS increases (positively related)

Movement along the supply curve refers to the change in



QS due to price change, all

other factors cause a shift.

SHIFTS IN SUPPLY

● Supply increases -> supply curve shifts right

● Supply decreases -> supply curve shifts left

MARKET EQUILIBRIUM: The intersection of the demand and supply curves is the

market equilibrium price

● SHORTAGE: QS <QD , results in price increases to decrease QD

● SURPLUS: QS >QD , results in price decrease to increase QD

PRICE CONTROLS:

● Price Ceiling: A legal maximum of the selling price of a good ordered by the

government. If the price ceiling is lower than the market equilibrium, it leads to a

shortage as there is excess demand

● Price Floor: A legal minimum of the selling price of a good ordered by the

government. If the price floor is higher that the market equilibrium, it leads to

surplus as there is excess supply.

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Document Summary

Microeconomics: the study of individual firms within the market opposed to the entire economy. Normative analysis: an analysis that makes recommendations about economic policies. Positive analysis: an analysis that explains what and why things happen within the economy, without making recommendations. Scarcity: resources are finite, but wants are unlimited, therefore people must compromise and make decisions. Rational decision making: it it rational to pursue an action if benefits>costs. Thinking on the margin: if mb>mc, it is rational to take an action. Marginal cost: the additional cost of producing one more unit of a good/service. Marginal benefit: the additional benefit of consuming one more unit of a good/service. Opportunity cost: the value of the next best alternative forgone. Better allocation: a reallocation of goods in a way that is better off for all parties. Greater production: in the instance where greater production is available, each involved (voluntary exchange). party specializes in the activity in which they have the comparative advantage (lower.

Related Questions

Can you solve them and tell me if youre sure 100% 100% 100%

Question 1 (1 point)

If two variables move together but are otherwise unrelated, we have

Question 1 options:

a fallacy of composition.

an econometric model.

a spurious correlation.

an efficiency problem.

evidence of a weak correlation but strong causation.

Save

Question 2 (1 point)

The Latin expression "ceteris paribus": is essential in ______.

Question 2 options:

collecting data.

identifying sunk costs.

evaluating theories.

recognizing scarcity.

developing spurious relationships.

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Question 3 (1 point)

Opportunity cost is best defined as

Question 3 options:

marginal cost minus marginal benefit.

the time spent on an economic activity.

the value of the best forgone alternative.

the monetary cost of an economic decision.

marginal cost plus marginal benefit.

Save

Question 4 (1 point)

A cost that cannot be recovered at the time a decision is being made is termed a(n)

Question 4 options:

marginal cost.

scarcity cost.

sunk cost.

average cost.

opportunity cost.

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Question 5 (1 point)

If the marginal costs of 1, 2, and 3 hours of talking on the phone are $50, $75, and $105, then the total costs are

Question 5 options:

$50, $150, and $315.

$50, $41.67, and $115.

$50, 125, and $230.

$50, $175, and $405.

impossible to calculate with information given.

Save

Question 6 (1 point)

In general, individuals should specialize in producing those goods for which they

Question 6 options:

can produce more quickly than others.

can produce less quickly than others.

have the lowest opportunity cost compared to others.

have the highest opportunity cost compared to others.

have an average opportunity cost.

Save

Question 7 (1 point)

The extra benefit that comes from an extra unit of activity is called the _________ of the activity.

Question 7 options:

benefit

marginal benefit

marginal cost

average benefit

reservation benefit

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Question 8 (1 point)

The marginal benefit of an activity is the

Question 8 options:

same as the total benefits of the activity.

total benefit divided by the level of the activity.

change in the activity divided by the change in benefits.

extra benefit associated with an extra unit of the activity.

total benefit divided by the change in the level of the activity.

Save

Question 9 (1 point)

The fundamental problem that is studied in economics is that

Question 9 options:

consumers have limited wants in the face of unlimited resources.

markets should function without government interference.

Canada is too wealthy.

consumers have unlimited wants in the face of limited resources.

there are unlimited resources.

Save

Question 10 (1 point)

The range of topics, or issues, that fit within the definition of economics is

Question 10 options:

limited to market activities, e.g., buying soap.

limited to individuals and firms.

extremely wide, requiring only the ideas of choice and scarcity.

limited to governments and nations.

very limited.

Save

Question 11 (1 point)

When economists make predictions using the framework of a given economic model, it is usually based on

Question 11 options:

personal experiences.

important relationships between particular variables.

mathematical abstractions.

political implications.

the profit-maximizing objective.

Save

Question 12 (1 point)

The cost of spending an evening partying instead of studying economics is

Question 12 options:

the resulting decrease in the test score in Economics.

the time spent at the party.

the score of the test.

the cost of the textbook.

university tuition.

Save

Question 13 (1 point)

As one progresses from a one-person economy to a large, multi-person economy, the shape of production possibilities curve changes from

Question 13 options:

downward sloping to upwards sloping.

linear to convex (bowed into the origin).

concave (bowed out from the origin) to linear.

convex (bowed into the origin) to concave (bowed out from the origin).

linear to concave (bowed out from the origin).

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Question 14 (1 point)

Which is NOT a sunk cost?

Question 14 options:

Monthly rent of $1,000 contractually specified in a one-year lease.

An insurance premium of $50 per year, paid last month.

An attorney's retainer of $50,000 per year.

A worker's wage of $15 per hour.

A non-refundable deposit for a tender.

Save

Question 15 (1 point)

"We should support government intervention because the market produces undesirable outcomes" is an example of

Question 15 options:

positive economics.

normative economics.

comparative economics.

negative economics.

formative economics.

Save

amberchimpanzee966

Suppose that, instead of taking this test, you could either have worked and earned income or partied and had a pleasurable time. Your opportunity cost of taking the test is the

	a.	forgone working or partying, depending on which was your next best choice.
	b.	forgone work.
	c.	forgone working and partying.
	d.	test because you are taking it.

1 points

QUESTION 2

A trend is

	a.	a measure of closeness on a scatter diagram.
	b.	a general tendency for a variable to rise or fall.
	c.	the maximum value of a variable.
	d.	the difference between the maximum value of a variable and the minimum value of the variable.

1 points

QUESTION 3

A time-series graph measures

	a.	time on the y-axis and the variable or variables in which we are interested on the x-axis.
	b.	time on the x-axis and the variable or variables in which we are interested on the y-axis.
	c.	the value of one variable against the value of another variable.
	d.	the value of an economic variable for different groups in a population at a point in time.

1 points

QUESTION 4

Canada has nationalized health care, so that everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, has some access to health care. Based on this observation, Canada has decided that "everyone, regardless of their ability to pay" is the answer to what microeconomic question?

	a.	Why will we offer health care?
	b.	How will health care be produced?
	c.	For whom will health care be produced?
	d.	What type of health care will be produced and in what quantity?

1 points

QUESTION 5

As a shoe factory adds more workers, shoe production grows, reaches a maximum, and then shrinks. In a diagram that has the number of workers on the horizontal axis and the number of shoes on the vertical axis, the relationship between the number of workers and the number of shoes starts as ________ and then, after the maximum point, is ________.

	a.	positive; negative
	b.	negative; positive
	c.	linear; negative
	d.	positive; linear

1 points

QUESTION 6

Microeconomics includes the study of the

	a.	choices made by individuals and businesses.
	b.	recessions and inflation in the global economy.
	c.	aggregate effects on the national economy.
	d.	reasons why the government changes interest rates.

1 points

QUESTION 7

When Fresh Express Salads decides to mechanically pick all of its lettuce, it directly answers the ________ question.

	a.	when
	b.	for whom
	c.	how
	d.	what

1 points

QUESTION 8

Proponents of cuts in income tax rates argue that when income tax rates are cut, workers have an incentive to increase their work hours. This argument is based on the assumption that

	a.	the opportunity cost of working is negative.
	b.	the marginal cost of each additional work hour is not important to most workers.
	c.	workers are irrational.
	d.	workers make decisions based on the marginal benefit of each hour worked compared to the marginal cost of work.

1 points

QUESTION 9

A choice made by comparing all relevant alternatives systematically and incrementally is

	a.	an opportunity cost.
	b.	a benefit.
	c.	a sunk cost.
	d.	a choice on the margin.

1 points

QUESTION 10

A normative statement

i. can be tested as to whether it is true or false.

ii. is considered negative.

iii. depends on a person's values.

	a.	i, ii, and iii
	b.	iii only
	c.	i and iii
	d.	ii and iii

1 points

QUESTION 11

Normative statements

i. describe how the world is.

ii. describe how the world ought to be.

iii. depend on people's values and cannot be tested.

	a.	iii only.
	b.	i only.
	c.	ii and iii.
	d.	ii only.

1 points

QUESTION 12

In order to determine whether to major in economics, a rational individual compares the ________ of the decision.

	a.	positive benefits and normative costs
	b.	normative benefits and positive costs
	c.	marginal benefit and marginal cost
	d.	opportunity cost and the sunk cost

1 points

QUESTION 13

If x increases whenever y decreases, then x and y are

	a.	positively related.
	b.	negatively related.
	c.	not related.
	d.	related but whether positively or negatively related depends on whether the x variable or the y variable is plotted on the vertical axis.

1 points

QUESTION 14

Rational choice

	a.	is what you must give up get what you want.
	b.	is made by comparing different incentives.
	c.	making the choice.
	d.	provides the answer to only the "how" question.

1 points

QUESTION 15

Scarcity results from the fact that

	a.	choices made in self-interest rare not always in the social interest.
	b.	not all goals are desirable.
	c.	people's wants exceed the resources available to satisfy them
	d.	we cannot answer the major economic questions.

1 points

QUESTION 16

When Delta decides to quit flying to Lithuania, it directly answers the ________ question.

	a.	what
	b.	why
	c.	for whom
	d.	how

1 points

QUESTION 17

A normative statement

	a.	says what is currently believed about the way the world operates.
	b.	depends on someone's values.
	c.	cannot use the word "should."
	d.	must be tested to determine if it is correct.

1 points

QUESTION 18

Which of the following statements best describes the study of economics? Economics studies how

	a.	to organize production so that scarcity does not occur.
	b.	to create incentives so that scarcity does not exist.
	c.	firms make profits.
	d.	we make choices in the face of scarcity.

1 points

QUESTION 19

Which of the following best defines economics?

	a.	Economics teaches how to limit our wants.
	b.	Economics is concerned with prices and quantities of goods and services, both at the individual level and at the industry level.
	c.	Economics helps you earn as much money as possible.
	d.	Economics studies how to choose the best alternative when coping with scarcity.

1 points

QUESTION 20

In economics, cost is ________, and benefit is ________.

	a.	the amount of money that you pay for something; the amount of money that someone else is willing to pay you
	b.	what you are willing to pay on the margin; what the government pays you when you are unemployed or retired
	c.	what you must give up to get something; what you are willing to give up to get it
	d.	the amount of money that you pay on the margin; the amount of money that you receive on the margin

1 points

QUESTION 21

If Jessie studies economics for two hours instead of going to the movies with her friends, then

	a.	the opportunity cost of studying is the missed movie.
	b.	Jessie is ignoring a sunk cost
	c.	Jessie is not responding to any incentives.
	d.	Jesse definitely is making a rational choice.

1 points

QUESTION 22

Going skiing will cost Adam $80 a day. He also loses $40 per day in wages because he has to take time off from work. Adam still decides to go skiing.

	a.	The $80 price of skiing is a sunk cost and so did not affect Adam's decision.
	b.	He loses a total of $120 per day, so his decision is irrational.
	c.	His decision is rational if Adam's marginal benefit of spending a day skiing is greater than his marginal cost.
	d.	Adam's lost $40 per day in wages is a sunk cost and so did not affect his decision.

1 points

QUESTION 23

If a curve falls and then rises, it

	a.	has a maximum.
	b.	has a linear relationship.
	c.	has a minimum.
	d.	has a constant slope relationship.

1 points

QUESTION 24

In 2003, Michael Jordan decided to retire from professional basketball. Which of the following was an opportunity cost of his decision?

	a.	the avoidance of pain and injury from playing one more year
	b.	the time he could spend with his family while retired
	c.	the lost salary from playing one more year
	d.	the value of new employment opportunities that would await him

1 points

QUESTION 25

Which of the following statements is a normative statement?

	a.	Military spending as a percent of government spending decreased by 5 percent in the 1990s.
	b.	Every American household should have health care insurance coverage.
	c.	Welfare reform has decreased the amount the government spends on welfare.
	d.	The price of computers fell last year.

greencat417

1. The marginal product of labor is:

A. equal to the demand for labor.

B. the payment made to workers for their contribution to the output they produce.

C. the change in a firm's revenue as a result of hiring one more worker.

D. the additional output a firm produces as a result of hiring one more worker.

2. What does the phrase "internalizing an external cost" mean?

A. limiting the extent to which domestic firms can outsource production

B. prohibiting economic activities that create externalities

C. finding a way to address cross-border pollution

D. forcing producers to factor into their production costs the cost of the externalities created in the production of their output

3. The highest-valued alternative that must be given up to engage in an activity is the definition of

A. implicit cost

B. opportunity cost.

C. utility.

D. economic sacrifice.

4. What is market failure?

A. It refers to the inability of the market to allocate resources efficiently up to the point where marginal social benefit equals marginal private cost.

B. It refers to a situation where an entire sector of the economy (for example, the airline industry) collapses because of some unforeseen event.

C. It refers to a breakdown in a market economy because of widespread corruption in government.

D. It refers to the inability of the market to allocate resources efficiently up to the point where marginal social benefit equals marginal social cost.

5. Suppose a competitive firm is paying a wage of $12 an hour and sells its product at $3 per unit. Assume that labor is the only input. If the last worker hired increases output by three units per hour, then to maximize profits the firm should

A. lay off some of its workers.

B. does not change the number of workers it currently hires.

C. hire additional workers.

D. There is not enough information to answer the question.

6. When the price of summer tank tops falls and you buy more of them because they are relatively less expensive, this is called

A. the deadweight loss effect.

B. the income effect.

C. the substitution effect.

D. the elasticity effect.

7. An externality is

A. a benefit realized by the purchaser of a good or service.

B. a benefit or cost experienced by someone who is not a producer or consumer of a good or service.

C. a cost paid for by the producer of a good or service.

D. anything that is external or not relevant to the production of a good or service.

8. Firms pay famous individuals to endorse their products because

A. apparently demand is affected not just by the number of people who use a product but also by the type of person that uses the product. '

B. famous people only consume high-quality products.

C. famous people obviously know what are the best goods and services.

D. the firms are irrational and are wasting advertising expenditures.

9. If a consumer receives 20 units of utility from consuming two candy bars, and 25 units of utility from consuming three candy bars, the marginal utility of the second candy bar is

A. 25 utility units.

B. 20 utility units.

C. 5 utility units.

D. unknown as more information is needed to determine the answer.

10. When there is a negative externality, the private cost of production ________ the social cost of production.

A. is less than

B. is greater than

C. eliminates

D. is equal to

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ECON1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Variable Cost, Normal Good, Fixed Cost

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