An industry currently has 100 firms, each of which has fixed costs of $16 and average variable costs as follows: Quantity ……………………Average Variable Cost 1$.......................................................1 2....................................................... 2 3....................................................... 3 4....................................................... 4 5....................................................... 5 6....................................................... 6 a. Compute a firm’s marginal cost and average total cost for each quantity from 1 to 6. b. The equilibrium price is currently $10. How much does each firm produce? What is the total quantity supplied in the market? c. In the long run, firms can enter and exit the market, and all entrants have the same costs as above. As this market makes the transition to its long-run equilibrium, will the price rise or fall? Will the quantity demanded rise or fall? Will the quantity supplied by each firm rise or fall? Explain your answers. d. Graph the long-run supply curve for this market, with specific numbers on the axes as relevant.
> For each of the following characteristics, say whether it describes a monopoly firm, a monopolistically competitive firm, both, or neither. a. faces a downward-sloping demand curve b. has marginal revenue less than price c. faces the entry of new firms s
> Consider how health insurance affects the quantity of healthcare services performed. Suppose that the typical medical procedure has a cost of $100, yet a person with health insurance pays only $20 out of pocket. Her insurance company pays the remaining $
> A friend of yours is considering two cell phone service providers. Provider A charges $120 per month for the service regardless of the number of phone calls made. Provider B does not have a fixed service fee but instead charges $1 per minute for calls. Y
> One of the largest changes in the economy over the past several decades is that technological advances have reduced the cost of making computers. a. Draw a supply-and-demand diagram to show what happened to price, quantity, consumer surplus, and producer
> There are four consumers willing to pay the following amounts for haircuts: There are four haircutting businesses with the following costs: Each firm has the capacity to produce only one haircut. For efficiency, how many haircuts should be given? Whi
> The cost of producing flat-screen TVs has fallen over the past decade. Let’s consider some implications of this fact. a. Draw a supply-and-demand diagram to show the effect of falling production costs on the price and quantity of flat-screen TVs sold. b.
> Explain how sellers’ costs, producer surplus, and the supply curve are related.
> Ernie owns a water pump. Because pumping large amounts of water is harder than pumping small amounts, the cost of producing a bottle of water rises as he pumps more. Here is the cost he incurs to produce each bottle of water: Cost of first bottle $1 Cost
> It is a hot day, and Bert is thirsty. Here is the value he places on each bottle of water: Value of first bottle $7 Value of second bottle $5 Value of third bottle $3 Value of fourth bottle $1 a. From this information, derive Bert’s demand schedule. Grap
> Suppose the demand for French bread rises. Explain what happens to producer surplus in the market for French bread. Explain what happens to producer surplus in the market for flour. Illustrate your answers with diagrams.
> An early freeze in California sours the lemon crop. Explain what happens to consumer surplus in the market for lemons. Explain what happens to consumer surplus in the market for lemonade. Illustrate your answers with diagrams.
> For each of the following characteristics, say whether it describes a perfectly competitive firm, a monopolistically competitive firm, both, or neither. a. sells a product differentiated from that of its competitors b. has marginal revenue less than pric
> Melissa buys an iPhone for $120 and gets consumer surplus of $80. a. What is her willingness to pay? b. If she had bought the iPhone on sale for $90, what would her consumer surplus have been? c. If the price of an iPhone were $250, what would her consum
> Define oligopoly and monopolistic competition and give an example of each.
> How might advertising make markets less competitive? How might it make markets more competitive? • Give the arguments for and against brand names.
> Explain how a monopolist chooses the quantity of output to produce and the price to charge.
> What are the three reasons that a market might have a monopoly? • Give two examples of monopolies and explain the reason for each.
> Describe the ways policymakers can respond to the inefficiencies caused by monopolies. List a potential problem with each of these policy responses.
> Give two examples of price discrimination. • How does perfect price discrimination affect consumer surplus, producer surplus, and total surplus?
> How does a monopolist’s quantity of output compare to the quantity of output that maximizes total surplus? How does this difference relate to the concept of deadweight loss?
> Draw the demand, marginal-revenue, average-total cost, and marginal-cost curves for a monopolist. Show the profit-maximizing level of output, the profit maximizing price, and the amount of profit.
> List the three key attributes of monopolistic competition. Draw and explain a diagram to show the long-run equilibrium in a monopolistically competitive market. How does this equilibrium differ from that in a perfectly competitive market?
> Why is a monopolist’s marginal revenue less than the price of its good? Can marginal revenue ever be negative? Explain.
> Give an example of a government-created monopoly. Is creating this monopoly necessarily bad public policy? Explain.
> Describe the two problems that arise when regulators tell a natural monopoly that it must set a price equal to marginal cost.
> Give two examples of price discrimination. In each case, explain why the monopolist chooses to follow this business strategy
> In your diagram from the previous question, show the level of output that maximizes total surplus. Show the deadweight loss from the monopoly. Explain your answer.
> You live in a town with 300 adults and 200 children, and you are thinking about putting on a play to entertain your neighbors and make some money. AÂ play has a fixed cost of $2,000, but selling an extra ticket has zero marginal cost. Here are
> Consider the relationship between monopoly pricing and price elasticity of demand. a. Explain why a monopolist will never produce a quantity at which the demand curve is inelastic. (Hint: If demand is inelastic and the firm raises its price, what happens
> The residents of the town Ectenia all love economics, and the mayor proposes building an economics museum. The museum has a fixed cost of $2,400,000 and no variable costs. There are 100,000 town residents, and each has the same demand for museum visits:
> Larry, Curly, and Moe run the only saloon in town. Larry wants to sell as many drinks as possible without losing money. Curly wants the saloon to bring in as much revenue as possible. Moe wants to make the largest possible profits. Using a single diagram
> A company is considering building a bridge across a river. The bridge would cost $2 million to build and nothing to maintain. The following table shows the company’s anticipated demand over the lifetime of the bridge: Price per Crossing….. Number of Cro
> Draw a diagram depicting a firm that is making a profit in a monopolistically competitive market. Now show what happens to this firm as new firms enter the industry.
> Johnny Rockabilly has just finished recording his latest CD. His record company’s marketing department determines that the demand for the CD is as follows: Price ……..…… Number of CDs $24 …………………………10,000 22 …………………………20,000 20 …………………………30,000 18 ………………
> A small town is served by many competing supermarkets, which have the same constant marginal cost. a. Using a diagram of the market for groceries, show the consumer surplus, producer surplus, and total surplus. b. Now suppose that the independent superma
> A publisher faces the following demand schedule for the next novel from one of its popular authors: Price Quantity ……...… Demanded $100……………………… 0 novels 90………………………… 100,000 80………………………… 200,000 70………………………… 300,000 60………………………… 400,000 50………………………… 50
> Many schemes for price discriminating involve some cost. For example, discount coupons take up the time and resources of both the buyer and the seller. This question considers the implications of costly price discrimination. To keep things simple, let’s
> Based on market research, a film production company in Ectenia obtains the following information about the demand and production costs of its new DVD: Demand: P = 1,000 − 10Q Total Revenue: TR = 1,000Q − 10Q2 Marginal Revenue: MR = 1,000 − 20Q Marginal
> Only one firm produces and sells soccer balls in the country of Wiknam, and as the story begins, international trade in soccer balls is prohibited. The following equations describe the monopolist’s demand, marginal revenue, total cost, and marginal cost:
> How does a competitive firm determine its profit-maximizing level of output? Explain. • When does a profit-maximizing competitive firm decide to shut down? When does it decide to exit a market?
> In the long run with free entry and exit, is the price in a market equal to marginal cost, average total cost, both, or neither? Explain with a diagram.
> Draw the cost curves for a typical firm. Explain how a competitive firm chooses the level of output that maximizes profit. At that level of output, show on your graph the firm’s total revenue and total costs.
> Does a competitive firm’s price equal the minimum of its average total cost in the short run, in the long run, or both? Explain.
> Describe the three attributes of monopolistic competition. How is monopolistic competition like monopoly? How is it like perfect competition?
> Does a competitive firm’s price equal its marginal cost in the short run, in the long run, or both? Explain.
> Ball Bearings, Inc. faces costs of production as follows: a. Calculate the company’s average fixed costs, average variable costs, average total costs, and marginal costs at each level of production. b. The price of a case of ball bear
> Consider total cost and total revenue given in the following table: a. Calculate profit for each quantity. How much should the firm produce to maximize profit? b. Calculate marginal revenue and marginal cost for each quantity. Graph them. (Hint: Put th
> Bob’s lawn-mowing service is a profit-maximizing, competitive firm. Bob mows lawns for $27 each. His total cost each day is $280, of which $30 is a fixed cost. He mows 10 lawns a day. What can you say about Bob’s short-run decision regarding shutdown and
> Many small boats are made of fiberglass, which is derived from crude oil. Suppose that the price of oil rises. a. Using diagrams, show what happens to the cost curves of an individual boat-making firm and to the market supply curve. b. What happens to th
> Suppose that the U.S. textile industry is competitive and there is no international trade in textiles. In long run equilibrium, the price per unit of cloth is $30. a. Describe the equilibrium using graphs for the entire market and for an individual produ
> The market for apple pies in the city of Ectenia is competitive and has the following demand schedule: Price Quantity ………………….…….Demanded $1 ………………………………………….….1,200 pies 2 …………………………………………….……….1,100 3 ……………….………………………..………….1,000 4……………………………………………………
> The market for fertilizer is perfectly competitive. Firms in the market are producing output but are currently incurring economic losses. a. How does the price of fertilizer compare to the average total cost, the average variable cost, and the marginal c
> A profit-maximizing firm in a competitive market is currently producing 100 units of output. It has average revenue of $10, average total cost of $8, and fixed costs of $200. a. What is its profit? b. What is its marginal cost? c. What is its average var
> Explain two benefits that might arise from the existence of brand names.
> Suppose the book-printing industry is competitive and begins in a long-run equilibrium. a. Draw a diagram showing the average total cost, marginal cost, marginal revenue, and supply curve of the typical firm in the industry. b. Hi-Tech Printing Company i
> Farmer McDonald gives banjo lessons for $20 an hour. One day, he spends 10 hours planting $100 worth of seeds on his farm. What opportunity cost has he incurred? What cost would his accountant measure? If these seeds yield $200 worth of crops, does McDon
> If Boeing produces 9 jets per month, its long-run total cost is $9.0 million per month. If it produces 10 jets per month, its long-run total cost is $9.5 million per month. Does Boeing exhibit economies or diseconomies of scale?
> Suppose Honda’s total cost of producing 4 cars is $225,000 and its total cost of producing 5 cars is $250,000. What is the average total cost of producing 5 cars? What is the marginal cost of the fifth car? Draw the marginal-cost curve and the average to
> If Farmer Jones plants no seeds on his farm, he gets no harvest. If he plants 1 bag of seeds, he gets 3 bushels of wheat. If he plants 2 bags, he gets 5 bushels. If he plants 3 bags, he gets 6 bushels. A bag of seeds costs $100, and seeds are his only co
> Define total cost, average total cost, and marginal cost. How are they related?
> Draw a production function that exhibits diminishing marginal product of labor. Draw the associated total cost curve. (In both cases, be sure to label the axes.) Explain the shapes of the two curves you have drawn.
> Give an example of an opportunity cost that an accountant might not count as a cost. Why would the accountant ignore this cost?
> Define economies of scale and explain why they might arise. Define diseconomies of scale and explain why they might arise.
> How and why does a firm’s average-total-cost curve differ in the short run and in the long run?
> Does a monopolistic competitor produce too much or too little output compared to the most efficient level? What practical considerations make it difficult for policymakers to solve this problem?
> Draw the marginal-cost and average-total-cost curves for a typical firm. Explain why the curves have the shapes that they do and why they cross where they do.
> Consider the following cost information for a pizzeria: a. What is the pizzeria’s fixed cost? b. Construct a table in which you calculate the marginal cost per dozen pizzas using the information on total cost. Also, calculate the marg
> Nimbus, Inc., makes brooms and then sells them door to-door. Here is the relationship between the number of workers and Nimbus’s output in a given day: a. Fill in the column of marginal products. What pattern do you see? How might you
> A commercial fisherman notices the following relationship between hours spent fishing and the quantity of fish caught: Hours…………..Quantity of Fish (in pounds) 0 ………………………………………………………0 1 ………………………………………………………10 2 ………………………………………………………18 3 ………………………………………
> Your aunt is thinking about opening a hardware store. She estimates that it would cost $500,000 per year to rent the location and buy the stock. In addition, she would have to quit her $50,000 per year job as an accountant. a. Define opportunity cost. b.
> Consider the following table of long-run total costs for three different firms: Does each of these firms experience economies of scale or diseconomies of scale? Quantity 2 4 5 6 7 Firm A $60 $70 $80 $90 $100 $110 $120 Firm B 11 24 39 56 75 96 119 F
> Jane’s Juice Bar has the following cost schedules: a. Calculate average variable cost, average total cost, and marginal cost for each quantity. b. Graph all three curves. What is the relationship between the marginal-cost curve and th
> The city government is considering two tax proposals: • A lump-sum tax of $300 on each producer of hamburgers. • A tax of $1 per burger, paid by producers of hamburgers. a. Which of the following curves—average fixed cost, average variable cost, average
> Your cousin Vinnie owns a painting company with fixed costs of $200 and the following schedule for variable costs: Calculate average fixed cost, average variable cost, and average total cost for each quantity. What is the efficient scale of the paintin
> Explain the benefits principle and the ability-to-pay principle. What are vertical equity and horizontal equity? Why is studying tax incidence important for determining the equity of a tax system?
> Draw a diagram of the long-run equilibrium in a monopolistically competitive market. How is price related to average total cost? How is price related to marginal cost?
> What is meant by the efficiency of a tax system? • What can make a tax system inefficient?
> What is the concept of horizontal equity and why is it hard to apply?
> Suppose you are a typical person in the U.S. economy. You pay 4 percent of your income in a state income tax and 15.3 percent of your labor earnings in federal payroll taxes (employer and employee shares combined). You also pay federal income taxes as in
> The chapter states that the elderly population in the United States is growing more rapidly than the total population. In particular, the number of workers is rising slowly, while the number of retirees is rising quickly. Concerned about the future of So
> The information in many of the tables in this chapter can be found in the Economic Report of the President, which appears annually. Using a recent issue of the report at your library or on the Internet, answer the following questions and provide some num
> Categorize each of the following funding schemes as examples of the benefits principle or the ability-to-pay principle. a. Visitors to many national parks pay an entrance fee. b. Local property taxes support elementary and secondary schools. c. An airpor
> Suppose that your state raises its sales tax from 5 percent to 6 percent. The state revenue commissioner forecasts a 20 percent increase in sales tax revenue. Is this plausible? Explain.
> When someone owns an asset (such as a share of stock) that rises in value, he has an “accrued” capital gain. If he sells the asset, he “realizes” the gains that have previously accrued. Under the U.S. income tax system, realized capital gains are taxed,
> Some states exclude necessities, such as food and clothing, from their sales tax. Other states do not. Discuss the merits of this exclusion. Consider both efficiency and equity.
> What is the free-rider problem? Why does the free-rider problem induce the government to provide public goods? How should the government decide whether to provide a public good?
> Among monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, and perfect competition, how would you classify the markets for each of the following drinks? a. tap water b. bottled water c. cola d. beer
> Classify the following markets as perfectly competitive, monopolistic, or monopolistically competitive, and explain your answers. a. wooden no. 2 pencils b. copper c. local electricity service d. peanut butter e. lipstick
> What determines how the burden of a tax is divided between buyers and sellers? Why?
> Suppose the government removes a tax on buyers of a good and levies a tax of the same size on sellers of the good. How does this change in tax policy affect the price that buyers pay sellers for this good, the amount buyers are out of pocket (including a
> Explain why economists usually oppose controls on prices.
> Using supply-and-demand diagrams, show the effect of the following events on the market for sweatshirts. a. A hurricane in South Carolina damages the cotton crop. b. The price of leather jackets falls. c. All colleges require morning exercise in appropri
> At Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, seating is limited to 39,000. Hence, the number of tickets issued is fixed at that figure. Seeing a golden opportunity to raise revenue, the City of Boston levies a per ticket tax of $5 to be paid by the ticket
> A case study in this chapter discusses the federal minimum-wage law. a. Suppose the minimum wage is above the equilibrium wage in the market for unskilled labor. Using a supply-and-demand diagram of the market for unskilled labor, show the market wage, t
> Congress and the president decide that the United States should reduce air pollution by reducing its use of gasoline. They impose a $0.50 tax on each gallon of gasoline sold. a. Should they impose this tax on producers or consumers? Explain carefully usi
> If the government places a $500 tax on luxury cars, will the price paid by consumers rise by more than $500, less than $500, or exactly $500? Explain.
> A senator wants to raise tax revenue and make workers better off. A staff member proposes raising the payroll tax paid by firms and using part of the extra revenue to reduce the payroll tax paid by workers. Would this accomplish the senator’s goal? Expla
> Over the past 30 years, technological advances have reduced the cost of computer chips. How do you think this has affected the market for computers? For computer software? For typewriters?
> Define the price elasticity of demand. Explain the relationship between total revenue and the price elasticity of demand.
> Suppose the federal government requires beer drinkers to pay a $2 tax on each case of beer purchased. (In fact, both the federal and state governments impose beer taxes of some sort.) a. Draw a supply-and-demand diagram of the market for beer without the
