ECON101 Lecture Notes - Opportunity Cost, Normal Good, Inferior Good

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sangriamosquito467

25 Feb 2013

School

University of Waterloo

Department

Economics

Course

ECON101

Professor

Flora Ng

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Basic idea: elasticity measures how much one variable responds to changes in another variable. Price elasticity of demand is a measure of the extent to which the quantity demanded of a good changes when the price of the good changes. The price elasticity of demand is calculated by using the formula: The measure is units free because it is a ratio of two percentage changes and the percentages cancel out. Changing the units of measurement of price or quantity leave the elasticity value the same. Price and quantity always change in opposite directions. So to compare the percentage change in the price and the percentage change in the quantity demanded, we ignore the minus sign and use the absolute values. Demand is elastic if the percentage change in the quantity demanded exceeds the percentage change in price. Demand is unit elastic if the percentage change in the quantity demanded equals the percentage change in price.

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1. __________________ A measure of consumersâ sensitivity or responsiveness to changes in the price of a good or service.

2. ___________________ When the percentage change in price (in absolute value) is more than the percentage change in quantity demanded (in absolute value).

3. ___________________ When the percentage change in quantity demanded (in absolute value) is more than the percentage change in price (in absolute value).

4. ___________________ When the percentage change in quantity demanded (in absolute value) is just equal to the percentage change in price (in absolute value).

5. ___________________ Total amount paid to a producer for a good or service P * Q.

6. ___________________ The effect on total revenue of a change in price, holding quantity constant.

7. ___________________ The effect on total revenue of a change in quantity, holding price constant.

8. ___________________ An elasticity calculated over an interval of a demand curve or demand schedule.

9. ___________________ Elasticity at a specific price or point on a demand curve.

10. ___________________ A measure of how responsive quantity demanded is to a change in income, all other things constant.

11. ___________________ A measure showing how responsive the quantity demanded of one good is to changes in the price of another good, other factors constant.

12. ___________________ The additional revenue received by producing and selling one more unit of output.

13. ___________________ Units of output that could have been sold at a higher price had the firm not lowered its price to sell additional (marginal) units.

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Discussion #1

The law of demand states that a fall in the price of a good raises the quantity demanded, and the increase in price leads to a decrease in quantity demanded. The price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded to a change in price. Demand for a good is said to be elastic if the quantity demanded responds substantially to changes in the price, and the percentage change in quantity demanded is greater than the percentage change in price. Demand is said to be inelastic if the quantity demanded responds only slightly to changes in the price, which indicates that the percentage in price is greater than the percentage in quantity demanded.

However, the extent of responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price depends on the nature of a particular good or service in the market. The price elasticity of demand partly depends on the availability of close substitutes. When a large number of substitutes are available, consumers respond to a higher price of a good by buying more of the substitute goods and less of the relatively more expensive good. In addition, goods or services that are considered necessities tend to have less elastic (more inelastic) demand, whereas goods or services that are considered luxuries have more elastic (less inelastic) demands.

Explain why the demand for the good or service provided by the organization you work for is elastic or inelastic. How does this influence pricing decisions?
Provide examples on how the availability of close substitutes affects price elasticity of demand.
Give specific examples of necessities or luxuries, and explain how they affect price elasticity of goods or services.

Please answer ALL bulletins and place the answers under the correct bulletin.

1. The concept of price elasticity of demand measures:

a. the slope of the demand curve.

b. the number of buyers in a market.

c. the extent to which the demand curve shifts as the result of a price decline.

d. the sensitiveness of quantities demanded to price changes.

2. When the percentage change in price is less than the resulting percentage change in quantity demanded:

a. demand is elastic.

b. demand is inelastic.

c. demand is unit elastic.

d. none of the above.

3. The elasticity of demand:

a. will be the same at each price-quantity combination on a stable demand curve.

b. tends to be elastic in high-price ranges and inelastic in low-price ranges.

c. tends to be inelastic in high-price ranges and elastic in low-price ranges.

d. is infinitely large for a perfectly inelastic demand curve.

4. Suppose that as the price of Y falls from $2.00 to $1.80 the quantity of Y demanded increases from 110 to 121. It can be concluded that the price elasticity of demand is: _______.

5. Total revenue rises as the price of a good increases if price elasticity of demand is:

a. unitary elastic

b. perfectly inelastic.

6. The demand for such products as salt, bread, and electricity tend to be:

a. relatively price elastic.

b. relatively price inelastic.

c. of unit price elasticity.

d. perfectly price elastic.

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ECON101 Lecture Notes - Opportunity Cost, Normal Good, Inferior Good

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