MGEA02H3 Lecture 6: MGEA02 – Lecture six - The demand curve pt.2
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MGEA02 – Lecture 6 – The demand curve part 2
▪ Last week’s agenda:
o Consumer surplus
▪ How to use it and what it is
o Optimal purchase rules (OPR)
o Demand curve
o How the marginal utility and price are connected
▪ Equations
o U (Q) = Utility function
▪ Equation is typically given in a problem
▪ Represents the level of happiness/ satisfaction
▪ Can be linear and non linear
• Linear dominates non linear when Q is small
• Vise versa as Q gets larger
▪ Assume that the consumer is rational
• Will not over consume
• Marginal utility is non- negative
o MU = Marginal utility = dU/dQ
▪ Derived from the utility function
▪ Change in the total utility
• The first derivative of the utility function
• MU cannot be negative but may be 0
o Rational consumer is assumed
o Optimal purchase rule:
▪ P = MU = OPR
▪ P = MU is the optimal
▪ Sets out Q that maximizes the CS
▪ Once this is done, the demand curve is found
▪ P and MU are connected
▪ Total expenditure