Chapter 2 Homework
During a given year, the following activities occur in two stages: i. A silver mining company pays its workers $200,000 to mine 75 pounds of silver. The silver is then sold to a jewelry manufacturer for $300,000. ii. The jewelry manufacturer pays its workers $250,000 to make silver necklaces, which the manufacturer sells directly to customers for $1,000,000. Using the income approach, GDP is $_________.
$1,000,000
During a given year, the following activities occur in two stages: i. A silver mining company pays its workers $200,000 to mine 75 pounds of silver. The silver is then sold to a jewelry manufacturer for $300,000. ii. The jewelry manufacturer pays its workers $250,000 to make silver necklaces, which the manufacturer sells directly to customers for $1,000,000. Using the production-of-final-goods approach, GDP in this economy is $________. (Round to nearest dollar.)
$1,000,000 Final goods are those sold directly to customers (here, the silver necklaces). Their value is $1,000,000, so that is the GDP using the production-of-final-goods approach.
An economy produces three goods: cars, computers, and oranges. Quantities and prices per unit for years 2009 and 2010 are as follows: 2009: Cars 10 @ $4000 Computers 3 @ $1,100 Oranges 1200 @ $1 2010 Cars 12 @ $6,000 Computers 4 @ $600 Oranges 1500 @ $2 Nominal GDP in 2009 is $______.
$44500 Nominal GDP: current price x quantity produced (10x$4000) + (3x$1100) + (1200x$1) = $44500
An economy produces three goods: cars, computers, and oranges. Quantities and prices per unit for years 2009 and 2010 are as follows: 2009: Cars 10 @ $4000 Computers 3 @ $1,100 Oranges 1200 @ $1 2010 Cars 12 @ $6,000 Computers 4 @ $600 Oranges 1500 @ $2 Nominal GDP in 2010 is $_____.
$77400 Nominal GDP: current price x quantity produced (12x$6000) + (4x$600) + (1500x$2) = $77400
Now, in addition, suppose that in the first year the new ultrasound method is available, the price of check-ups using the new method is 15% higher than the price of check-ups in the previous year (when everyone used the old method.) c. Given this information, we can conclude that _______ of the higher price for check-ups using the new method (as compared to check-ups in the previous year) reflects a true price increase of check-ups and _______ represents a quality increase.
5% ; 10%
An economy produces three goods: cars, computers, and oranges. Quantities and prices per unit for years 2009 and 2010 are as follows: 2009: Cars 10 @ $4000 Computers 3 @ $1,100 Oranges 1200 @ $1 2010 Cars 12 @ $6,000 Computers 4 @ $600 Oranges 1500 @ $2 The percentage change in nominal GDP from 2009 to 2010 is ____%.
73.93% percentage change = (value2 - value1 / value1) x 100 (77400-44500)/44500 X 100 = 73.93%
In which year, a year where output growth is 2% or a year where output growth is −2%, will the unemployment rate rise more?
A year with output growth of −2% will see a higher rise in the unemployment rate because negative growth in output means firms will need fewer workers, which will cause unemployment to rise.
Okun's law stated that when output growth is higher than usual, the unemployment rate tends to fall. Explain why usual output growth is positive.
All of the above are correct. 1. Overall output is a function of population (labor) and capital in an economy. 2. Output is dependent on the overall size of all factors of production (inputs), and an economy's inputs generally increase over time. 3. Output growth is positively related to populationlong dash—as population grows, overall output can increase.
Consider the case of a routine medical check-up. a. Which of the following is a reason why you might want to use hedonic pricing to measure the change in the price of this service?
Check-ups may now include better technology than they did in the past.
During prolonged recessions, it is difficult for workers to find a job and many workers become discouraged. Which of the following is a correct statement?
Discouraged workers are NOT counted in the labor force and cause the participation rate to FALL.
The Japanese CPI is currently at 108 and the U.S. CPI is at 104. This indicates the Japanese rate of inflation is higher than the U.S. rate of inflation.
False
The Phillips curve is a relation between the level of prices and the level of unemployment.
False
When the economy is functioning normally, the unemployment rate is zero.
False
When the unemployment rate is high, the participation rate is also likely to be high.
False
During a given year, the following activities occur in two stages: i. A silver mining company pays its workers $200,000 to mine 75 pounds of silver. The silver is then sold to a jewelry manufacturer for $300,000. ii. The jewelry manufacturer pays its workers $250,000 to make silver necklaces, which the manufacturer sells directly to customers for $1,000,000. What is the value added at each stage of production? First stage = $_________. Second stage = $______. Using the value-added approach, GDP is $_______.
First stage = $300,000 In the first step, silver is mined and sold to a jewelry manufacturer. The value in the first step, therefore, is the value of the mined silver: ($300,000) Second stage = $700,000 GDP is $1,000,000
The Phillips curve is a relation between the change in the inflation rate and the level of the unemployment rate. Using the Phillips curve, what will happen to the unemployment rate when the rate of inflation is constant (neither rising nor falling)?
It will be at the natural rate of unemployment, or near 6%.
The Phillips curve is often portrayed as a line with a negative slope. In the text, the slope is −0.4. Is this a "better" economy than one that has a Phillips curve with a large slope, say −0.8?
No, the slope does not indicate whether one economy is better than another; it simply shows how much inflation rises or falls given a change in the unemployment rate.
If the CPI in Japan in 2014 is 108, then the rate of inflation in Japan from 2013 to 2014 must be
None of the above—there is not enough information to answer the question.
During a given year, the following activities occur in two stages: i. A silver mining company pays its workers $200,000 to mine 75 pounds of silver. The silver is then sold to a jewelry manufacturer for $300,000. ii. The jewelry manufacturer pays its workers $250,000 to make silver necklaces, which the manufacturer sells directly to customers for $1,000,000. What are the total wages and profits earned? Total wages = $________. Profits earned = $_______.
Total wages = $450,000 Profits earned = $550,000
Okun's law shows that when output growth is lower than normal, the unemployment rate tends to rise.
True
Periods of negative GDP growth are called recessions.
True
The rate of unemployment tends to fall during expansions and rise during recessions.
True
U.S. GDP was 32 times higher in 2014 than it was in 1960.
True
The rate of inflation computed using the CPI is a better index of inflation than the rate of inflation computed using the GDP deflator.
Uncertain
Now consider the case of a medical check-up for a pregnant woman. Suppose that a new ultrasound method is introduced. In the first year that this method is available, half of doctors offer the new method, and half offer the old method. A check-up using the new method costs 10% more than a check-up using the old method. b. The new method represents _________ over the old method. (Hint: Consider the fact that some women choose to see a doctor offering the new method when they could have chosen to see a doctor offering the old method.)
a 10% quality increase
Suppose a government report about a country's employment situation reveals the following data (all values are in millions of people). 190 = Working-age population 100 = Employed people 28 = People not working but actively looking for work 23 = Unemployed people who have stopped looking for work 39 = People not working and not seeking work If the country in question is the United States, these data are obtained from ________. From the data above, it can be determined that this country's labor force is _________ million people. It can be determined that this country's unemployment rate is ___% The data indicate that the country's participation rate is _____%.
household surveys 128 million people (# of employed + # of people looking for work) 21.9% (unemployed/labor force) x 100 67.4% labor force/working-age population
In many cases, the kind of information we used in parts (b) and (c) is not available. For example, suppose that in the year the new ultrasound method is introduced, all doctors adopt the new method, so the old method is no longer used. In addition, continue to assume that the price of check-ups in the year the new method is introduced is 15% higher than the price of check-ups in the previous year (when everyone used the old method). Thus, we observe a 15% price increase in check-ups, but we realize that the quality of check-ups has increased. d. Under these assumptions, the quality-adjusted price increase of check-ups is __________. To know the precise amount, we need to know __________.
less than 15% ; the relative value of check-ups with and without the new technology
Overall, the consensus among economists is that ___________ is the better measure of inflation in most situations.
neither the CPI nor the GDP deflator necessarily
The rate of unemployment tends to _______ during recessions and _______ during expansions.
rise ; fall