ECON-1010 Lecture Notes - Fall 2018 Lecture 2 - Extra EA-300, Fixed cost, Allocative efficiency

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21 Sep 2018

School

Vanderbilt University

Department

Economics

Course

ECON-1010

Professor

Stephen Buckles

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ECON-1010 Full Course Notes

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Document Summary

Economic models: an abstract description of a part of an economy. Simplifying assumptions are made, with a goal of understanding and explaining the effects of economic events. Production possibilities frontier model: takes the production decision in an economy and simplifies it down to a choice between two goods to produce. Economic model showing possible combinations of outputs, given resources and technology. Assume that the time is limited to 6 hours, has only two subjects, and has equal ability. More time studying biology would increase those scores but lower econ scores. But as time is increased more, rate of return decreases. Diminishing marginal returns: increasing one input, while holding all other inputs constant, will eventually result in smaller and smaller additions to output. Works with any input: labor, time, capital. But this means only adding one input such as time making one worker work for longer or hiring more workers for the same amount of space and tools.

Related Questions

1. According to economists today, economic growth depends on:

1) resources.

2) technology.

3) institutions.

4) resources and technology.

5) resources, technology, and institutions.

2. Which of the following is FALSE?

1) Real-world observations shape economic theory.

2) Economic theory shapes policy decisions.

3) Policies affect real-world events.

4) Economic theory has no impact on real-world events.

5) None of these statements is false.

3. After the Great Depression, the main focus of macroeconomics was:

1) growth theory.

2) the study of business cycles.

3) the study of stock markets.

4) the study of why businesses fail.

4. The Solow Growth Model serves as a foundation of:

1) macroeconomic theory.

2) microeconomic theory.

3) growth theory.

4) all economic theory.

5. According to the Solow Growth Model, which of the following is/are the primary source(s) of economic growth?

A - Natural resources

B - Human capital

C - Physical capital

D - A and B

E - A and C

F- B and C

G- A, B, and C

6. According to the Solow Growth Model, the marginal product of capital is:

1) zero and increases as the quantity of capital increases

2) zero and decreases as the quantity of capital increases.

3) negative and increases as the quantity of capital increases.

4) negative and decreases as the quantity of capital increases.

5) positive and increases as the quantity of capital increases.

6) positive and decreases as the quantity of capital increases.

7. If building new capital is costless and the capital depreciation rate is zero, then an economy will reach a steady state in which the marginal product of capital is:

1) equal to zero.

2) greater than zero.

3) less than zero.

8. Which of the following is true for an economy before it reaches the steady-state?

1) Investment and net investment are both positive.

2) Investment is positive but net investment is zero.

3) Investment is zero but net investment is positive.

4) Investment and net investment are both zero.

9. The idea of convergence suggests that when underdeveloped nations begin to develop, they typically have _____________ growth rates as they catch up to the developed nations.

1) higher

2) lower

3) similar

4) very low

10. Which of the following is true after allowing for sustained technological advance in the Solow Growth Model?

I. The steady-state situation is avoidable.

II. The marginal product of each unit of capital will increase.

III. A diminishing marginal product is avoidable.

Only I only II

Only III

I and II

I and III

II and III

I, II, and III

11. What is the primary difference between the basic Solow model and the second Solow model?

1) The models are theoretically similar. The second Solow model is only more mathematically complex than the basic model.

2) The second Solow model allows for technological change, while the basic model doesn't.

3) The basic Solow model features diminishing returns, in contrast to the second model.

4) The marginal product eventually becomes zero in the basic model, while such a situation is avoidable in the second Solow model.

12. All of the following can result in economic growth except:

1) improved schools and colleges.

2) a boost in population growth.

3) a favorable climate.

4) an improved health care system.

13. Which of the following will result in a movement along with the aggregate production function?

I. a technological advancement

II. training of the workforce

III. an increase in the country's capital stock

I and II

I and III

II and III

I, II, and III

14. Which of the following is NOT true about technological change in the Solow model?

1) Technological change is random.

2) Technological change occurs exogenously.

3) Technological change is driven by the incentives of the innovators.

4) Technological change is not due to any inherent characteristics of the economy.

15. What is the key difference between the new growth theory and the growth theory as envisioned by Solow?

1) There is no difference; technological change is endogenous in both these theories.

2) There is no difference; technological change is exogenous in both these theories.

3) Technological change is endogenous in the new growth theory and exogenous in the Solow theory.

4) Technological change is exogenous in the new growth theory and endogenous in the Solow theory.

16. Which of the following was proposed by the new growth theory?

I. Capital resources cannot grow indefinitely.

II. Technological change is caused by factors inside the economy.

III. Technological changes are entirely unpredictable events.

IV. Institutions matter.

I and II

I and IV

II and IV

III and IV

I, II, III, and IV

17. All of the following except _____________ are barriers to natural growth.

1) corruption

2) political instability

3) high tax rates

4) free markets

5) All of these are barriers to natural growth.

18. Which of the following is supported by the modern growth theory?

A - Population growth is an obstacle to economic growth.

B - Competition encourages the discovery of new goods and services, which leads to economic growth.

C - A country can grow faster if it disengages itself from international trade with foreign nations.

D - Taxes should be abolished, as they hurt incentives necessary for economic growth.

All of these. A and B

A, B, and D

19. According to the new growth theory, the low living standards in many developing countries can be explained by a lack of:

A - natural resources.

B - free markets.

C - sound institutions.

D - strong military resources.

all of these.

B and C.

A and D.

erinbuffalo510

The opportunity cost of one more slice of pizza in terms of sodas is the

		the total number of pizza slices that we have divided by the total number of sodas that we have.
		the number of sodas we have to give up to get one extra pizza slice.
		the number of pizza slices we have to give up to get one extra soda.
		the total number of sodas that we have divided by the total number of pizza slices that we have.

1 point

QUESTION 2

A production possibilities frontier shows

		how money can be allocated among two kinds of goods.
		the limits to the future growth of a nation.
		the various combinations of output a nation can produce at a certain time, given its available resources and technology.
		that if the price of one good decreases, the price of the other has to increase.

1 point

QUESTION 3

When a production possibilities frontier is bowed outward, as more of one good is produced, its opportunity cost

		remains constant.
		might increase, decrease, or remain constant depending on how much people value the additional units of the good.
		increases.
		decreases.

1 point

QUESTION 4

When all of the available factors of production are being efficiently employed, the

		the economy is producing at a point within its PPF.
		PPF disappears.
		the economy is producing at a point beyond its PPF.
		the economy is producing at a point on its PPF.

1 point

QUESTION 5

If a nation devotes a larger share of its current production to consumer goods, then

		its PPF will shift inward.
		its economic growth will slow down.
		its PPF will shift outward.
		some productive factors will become unemployed.

1 point

QUESTION 6

A point on the production possibilities frontier reflects an

		the attainable point with full employment of all resources.
		attainable point without full employment of all resources.
		unattainable point without full employment of all resources.
		the unattainable point with full employment of all resources.

1 point

QUESTION 7

When drawing a production possibilities frontier, which of the following is held constant?

		the available factors of production and the state of technology
		the amount of money in the economy
		the prices of goods and services
		the quantity of the goods and services that are produced

1 point

QUESTION 8

As we move along the production possibilities frontier,

		more of both goods can be produced.
		the possibilities of tradeoffs diminish.
		a tradeoff is not possible because nations need all goods.
		the production of one good increases as the production of the other good decreases.

1 point

QUESTION 9

Which of the following is an assumption used when drawing a production possibilities frontier?

i.Human wants and desires are limited to what is available.

ii. Only two goods are considered.

iii. The level of technology is fixed and unchanging.

		I and iii
		ii only
		I, ii, and iii
		I only

1 point

QUESTION 10

To achieve gains from trade, a country

		needs to have an absolute advantage in the production of all goods.
		specializes in producing a good in which it has a lower opportunity cost.
		must produce at a point beyond its PPF.
		should produce at the midpoint of its PPF.

1 point

QUESTION 11

Relative to Al, Joe has ________ if Joe can produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than Al.

		a comparative advantage
		more production efficiency
		a marginal benefit
		a comparative benefit

1 point

QUESTION 12

Does economic growth depend upon which of the following?

i.Improving the quality of labor

ii. Technological advancement

iii. Increasing the amount of capital

		iii only
		ii only
		I only
		I, ii, and iii

1 point

QUESTION 13

In one hour John can produce 20 loaves of bread or 18 cakes. In one hour Phyllis can produce 30 loaves of bread or 15 cakes. Which of the following statements is true?

		John has a comparative advantage in producing cakes.
		Phyllis has an absolute advantage in both goods.
		Phyllis has a comparative advantage in producing cakes.
		John has an absolute advantage in both goods.

1 point

QUESTION 14

As an economy produces more of one of the goods on a bowed out production possibilities frontier, what happens to the opportunity cost of producing the good?

		It decreases.
		It might increase, decrease, or remain constant depending on how much people value the additional units of the good.
		It remains constant.
		It increases.

1 point

QUESTION 15

The production possibilities frontier illustrates the

		goods and services that people want.
		maximum combinations of goods and services that can be produced.
		resources the economy possesses, but not it is the level of technology.
		limits to people's wants.

1 point

QUESTION 16

The United States produced approximately ________ worth of goods and services in 2007.

		$14 billion
		$14 trillion
		$140 billion
		$140 trillion

1 point

QUESTION 17

The fact of increasing opportunity cost when moving on the PPF means that

		to increase the production of one product requires smaller and smaller sacrifices of the other good.
		to decrease the production of one product requires smaller and smaller sacrifices of the other good.
		to increase the production of one product requires larger and larger sacrifices of the other good.
		when the government forces a movement from one point on the PPF to another point, no production is lost.

1 point

QUESTION 18

Other things equal, if India devotes more resources to educate its population than China,

		China will grow faster than India.
		India will be able to eliminate scarcity faster than China.
		India will be able to eliminate opportunity cost faster than China.
		India will grow faster than China.

1 point

QUESTION 19

For Ireland to grow more potatoes, wool production must decrease. This situation is an example of

		zero opportunity cost.
		producing at a point that lies beyond the PPF.
		opportunity benefit.
		a tradeoff.

1 point

QUESTION 20

Moving from one point to another on a production possibilities frontier implies

		increasing the production of both goods.
		increasing the production of one good and decreasing the production of another.
		holding the production levels of both goods constant.
		decreasing the production of both goods.

1 point

QUESTION 21

The United States is one of the richest nations in the world,

		but it can still benefit from specialization and trade.
		so does not need to trade with poor nations to achieve any gains from trade.
		so might not have a comparative advantage in producing any goods.
		so it must have a comparative advantage in the production of all goods.

1 point

QUESTION 22

"Comparative advantage" is defined as a situation in which one person can produce

		more of all goods than another person.
		a good for a lower opportunity cost than another person.
		a good for a lower dollar cost than another person.
		more of a good than another person.

1 point

QUESTION 23

The idea of increasing opportunity cost is reflected in the

		the linear shape of the production possibilities frontier.
		bowed in the shape of the production possibilities frontier.
		bowed out the shape of the production possibilities frontier.
		the positive slope of the production possibilities frontier.

1 point

QUESTION 24

Suppose that after specializing according to comparative advantage, a country is trading with another nation that also specializes according to its comparative advantage. Which of the following statements are true for the first country?

i)It enjoys gains from trade.

ii)It must have an absolute advantage in the production of the good it produces.

iii)It is producing at a point beyond its PPF.

		I only.
		I and ii.
		I and iii.
		ii and iii.

1 point

QUESTION 25

If society moves from a period of time with significant unemployment to a time with full employment, its production possibilities frontier will

		shift rightward.
		not shift because the society moves from one point on the frontier to a point inside the frontier.
		not shift because the society moves from a point inside the frontier to a point on the frontier.
		shift leftward.

1 point

ochresea-lion6

MULTIPLE CHOICE.

1) Which of the following is true of the typical relationship between marginal product (MP) and average product (AP)?

A) The AP curve intersects the MP curve at minimum MP.

B) If MP is less than AP, then AP is increasing.

C) If MP is greater than AP, then AP is falling.

D) The MP curve intersects the AP curve at maximum AP.

TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.

2) If, for a particular short-run production, we observe that marginal product is decreasing we can conclude that average product is decreasing as well.

MULTIPLE CHOICE.

3) An implicit cost is defined as:

A) the amount by which the money spent on an input to production exceeds its opportunity cost.

B) the difference between an input's explicit cost and its actual cost.

C) the opportunity cost of using a resource that is not explicitly paid out by the firm.

D) the amount by which economic profit exceeds accounting profit.

MULTIPLE CHOICE.

4) The amount of output a firm can produce with a given quantity of fixed and variable inputs is called:

A) total fixed product.

B) average variable product.

C) marginal product.

D) total product.

5) Which of the following statements is true of the relationship among the average cost functions?

A) AFC = ATC + AVC

B) ATC = AFC - AVC
C) AVC = AFC + ATC

D) AFC = ATC - AVC

TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.

6) A firm's production function is the relationship between the factors of production and the resulting outputs of the production process.

MULTIPLE CHOICE.

Scenario 2:
Output (Q): 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Total Cost (TC): $24 $33 $41 $48 $54 $61 $69

7) Refer to Scenario 2. Diminishing marginal returns starts to occur between units:

A) 2 and 3.

B) 3 and 4.

C) 4 and 5.

D) 5 and 6.

8) Which of the following would be classified as a short-run decision?

A) trucking firm's decision to move to a smaller facility.

B) A firm's decision to decrease the amount of electricity used in day-to-day operations by encouraging employees to adopt conservation strategies, e.g., shut off lights when leaving a room.

C) A university's decision to add a new residence hall.

D) A restaurant's decision to increase the number of patrons it can accommodate by adding on a new dining room.

9) Economic profit is equal to the difference between: 9)

TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.

10) At the point where a firm incurs diminishing marginal returns, total product will begin to decline.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

11) In the context of a production function, the remote order takers in the fast food industry would be classified as:

A) a fixed input.

B) a marginal input.

C) an inframarginal input.

D) a variable input.

Scenario 3:
Total Product (Q): 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Total Cost (TC): $50 $80 $105 $125 $155 $195 $250

12.

13.

increase; lower

decrease; lower

increase; higher

decrease; higher

TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.

14.

15.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

16) A labor-intensive method of production is one that:
A) combines a small but sophisticated labor force with a large amount of capital.

B) requires employees to work harder than they would in other occupations.
C) relies on large quantities of labor and smaller quantities of capital equipment. D) relies exclusively on labor.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

17) Assume a firm produces 500 units of a good by using two inputs, capital and labor, whose per unit prices are $10 and $4. Assume also that the marginal physical product of the last unit of capital is 30 and the marginal physical product of the last unit of labor is 10. To minimize costs this firm should employ:

A) more labor and less capital. B) more capital and less labor.
C) the existing combination of resources. D) both more labor and more capital.

TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.

18) All else constant, a decrease in the per unit price of labor would create an incentive for a firm manager to substitute labor for capital in the firm's production process.

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

19) All else constant, as the price of petroleum increases relative to the prices of other inputs to the production process, in their effort to minimize their total costs of production, we can expect to see firms employ:

A) the same amount of petroleum since there are no substitutes for petroleum. B) less petroleum and more of the other inputs to production.
C) less of each of the inputs of production.

D) more petroleum and less of the other inputs to production.

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ECON-1010 Lecture Notes - Fall 2018 Lecture 2 - Extra EA-300, Fixed cost, Allocative efficiency

ECON-1010 Full Course Notes

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