AGEC 200 Lecture Notes - Average Variable Cost, Deadweight Loss, Competitive Equilibrium

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bronzebeetle146

19 Nov 2012

School

McGill University

Department

Agricultural Economics

Course

AGEC 200

Professor

Anwar Naseem

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Document Summary

Clicker: want to maximize profits by choosing quantity where mr = mc. If extra revenue you make is greater than marginal cost, then should produce more. If mr is less than mc then cut down on production. Short run, should shut down price to minimize losses if price is below average variable cost. But if p lower than avc, then increasing losses. Firm"s short-run supply is exactly the same as firm"s mc curve above avc. Long run profits in perfectly competitive industry will be eliminated as firms enter. Fig 9-8: (iii) the bottom box (white) is total cost b/c atc = tc /q therefore tc = atc x q. Supply curve shifts to the right when because more firms coming in (when making profit) So price comes down, and so profits shrinking, until so many firms coming in you get zero profits. If there are losses, firms will leave = supply curve shifts left.

Related Questions

QUESTION 22

For a perfectly competitive firm, profit maximization (or loss minimization) occurs at the level of output at which

	a.	MR = MC.
	b.	MR = AVC.
	c.	P = ATC.
	d.	MR = ATC.

4 points

QUESTION 23

If MR > MC, then

	a.	profits are being maximized.
	b.	the firm is producing too much of the good to be maximizing profits.
	c.	the firm can increase its profits (or minimize its losses) by increasing output.
	d.	the firm must be incurring losses.

4 points

QUESTION 24

If firms are earning zero economic profits, they must be producing at an output level at which

	a.	price minus marginal cost.
	b.	total revenue equals total costs, in other words, normal profits.
	c.	price equals average variable cost.
	d.	marginal revenue equals marginal cost.
	e.	none of the above

4 points

QUESTION 25

In the theory of perfect competition,

	a.	the market demand curve is horizontal.
	b.	the single firm faces a horizontal demand curve.
	c.	the single firm faces a downward-sloping demand curve.
	d.	the market demand curve is downward sloping.
	e.	b and d

azureshark954

1. In a constant cost industry, P = AC = $20. Which sequence of events follows an increase in demand?

a. P = AC, firms make no economic profit, existing firms leave output unchanged, new firms enter the industry, profits remain normal, P = AC = $20.

b. P > AC, firms make an economic profit, existing firms expand output, new firms enter the industry, the short-run supply curve shifts left, price falls until profits return to $0.

c. P > AC, firms make an economic profit, existing firms expand output, new firms enter the industry, the short-run supply curve shifts right, price falls until profits return to $0.

d. P < AC, firms suffer an economic loss, existing firms reduce output, new firms enter the industry, the short-run supply curve shifts right, price falls until profits exceed $0.

2. Describe the supply curve of a constant cost industry.

a. Upward sloping

b. Flat

c. Downward sloping, then upward sloping

d. Downward sloping

3. At the profit-maximizing output level P = MC, if P > AC then firms can earn an above-normal profit, causing entry into the industry. True or false?

4. In a competitive market, the amount of a good that is produced is such that social surplus is:

a. Minimized

b. Maximized

c. Zero

d. Hidden

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Q8. To arrive at a logical determination of a firm's optimum output, economists assume that the firm seeks to
a. maximize output
b. minimize cost
c. maximize profit or minimize loss
d. maximize price

Q9. So long as marginal cost is rising, average variable cost must rise.
a. true
b. false

Q10. As output increases, marginal cost increases, reaches a maximum, and then falls.
a. true
b. false

Q11. Which of the following is the best example of variable cost?
a. depreciation on a building
b. property taxes
c. wages
d. rent paid for one's building

Q12. If the AVC is $12, the AFC is $4, the AR is $20, and output is 6,000 units, the total profit is
a. $72,000
b. $48,000
c. $24,000
d. negative $96,000

Q13. Under perfect competition, if a firm is suffering a loss,
a. MR exceeds ATC
b. AR equals AVC
c. AR equals ATC
d. AR is less than ATC

Q14. Elaine's firm is in a perfectly competitive industry. Why doesn't Elaine try to sell more of her product by lowering its price below the market price?
a. her demand curve is not elastic
b. doing so would be considered unethical price chiseling
c. her competitors would not allow it
d. she can sell all she wants at the market price

Q15. In the long run, perfect competition results in firms producing
a. at the minimum point of their long-run average cost curves, which indicates allocative efficiency
b. where price equals marginal cost, which indicates economic efficiency
c. where price equals marginal cost, which indicates the optimal scale of operation
d. at the minimum point of their long-run average cost curves, which indicates economic efficiency

Q16. On a graph of average cost curves, the space between ATC and AVC represents AFC.
a. true
b. false

Q18. If MC equals MR at a point greater than ATC, the perfectly competitive firm will
a. sustain a loss
b. shut down
c. make an economic profit
d. expand output

Q19. Since all producers have the same average revenue under conditions of perfect competition, they all have the same profits in the short run.
a. true
b. false

Q20. If the entry of new firms in a perfectly competitive industry substantially increases the market demand for resources,
a. this reduces the market price of resources
b. this raises the market price of resources
c. the market price of resources does not change
d. this lowers the ATC curves of individual firms

Q22. Under conditions of perfect competition, profits exist whenever AR is above AVC at equilibrium output.
a. true
b. false

Q23. Under perfect competition, market price is determined by market demand and supply.
a. true
b. false

Q24. If one firm in a perfectly competitive industry is somehow able to produce at a lower cost than competing firms in the short run,
a. the competing firms will adopt similar production techniques in the long run
b. the more efficient firm will earn higher profits than the competing firms in the long run
c. the competing firms will earn higher profits than the more efficient firm in the short run
d. the competing firms will go out of business in the long run

AGEC 200 Lecture Notes - Average Variable Cost, Deadweight Loss, Competitive Equilibrium

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