1.Use the concept of marginal utility to explain the following: Newspaper vending machines are designed so that once you have paid for one paper, you could take more than one paper at a time. But soda vending machines, once you have paid for one soda, dispense only one soda at a time.
2.Explain why a rational consumer who had diminishing marginal utility for a good would not consume an additional unit when it generates negative marginal utility, even when that unit is free. Include an example in your explanation.
1.Use the concept of marginal utility to explain the following: Newspaper vending machines are designed so that once you have paid for one paper, you could take more than one paper at a time. But soda vending machines, once you have paid for one soda, dispense only one soda at a time.
2.Explain why a rational consumer who had diminishing marginal utility for a good would not consume an additional unit when it generates negative marginal utility, even when that unit is free. Include an example in your explanation.
Related textbook solutions
Related questions
3. Amy is shopping at a dollar store. She is currently buying 5 bracelets that cost $1 each and 4 sodas that cost $1 each. The table below indicates the marginal utility she obtains when she purchases this combination.
| Quantity | Price per Unit | MU per unit | |
| Bracelets | 5 | $1 | 30 |
| Sodas | 4 | $1 | 40 |
A consumer maximizes utility when the last dollar spent on any good generates the same satisfaction as the last dollar spent on every other good. Is this consumer maximizing her utility?
If not, should she consume more bracelets or more sodas? Explain.
Answer the following assuming that one more bracelet is purchased and one less soda is consumed:
Recall the law of diminishing marginal utility. What happens to the Marginal Utility of bracelets and the Marginal Utility of soda?
What happens to the Total Utility received?
What happens to the total dollars spent?
