agons chapter 5
Demand is said to be ___________ when the quantity demanded is very responsive to changes in price.
A. elastic
When economists are sketching examples of a demand or supply curve that is close to horizontal, they refer to that demand or supply curve as ____________.
A. elastic
If the supply curve for a product is horizontal, then the elasticity of supply is:
A. equal to infinity
If the supply curve for a product is vertical, then the elasticity of supply is:
A. equal to zero
The price elasticity of demand for tickets to local baseball games is estimated to be equal to 0.89. In order to boost ticket revenues, an economist would advise:
A. increasing the price of game tickets because demand is inelastic.
When economists are sketching examples of demand and supply, it is common to sketch a demand or supply curve that is close to vertical, and then to refer to that curve as _________.
A. inelastic
Refer to Figure 7-1. Graph B represents a demand curve that is relatively __________. Total revenue __________ as the price decreases from $10 to $5.
A. inelastic; decreases
If the supply curve for aspirin is perfectly elastic, then a reduction in demand will cause the equilibrium price to:
A. stay the same and the equilibrium quantity to fall.
If cola and iced tea are good substitutes for consumers, then it is likely that:
A. their cross price elasticities are greater than zero.
When demand is inelastic:
B. consumers are not very responsive to changes in price.
Refer to Figure 7-1. With reference to Graph A, at a price of $10, total revenue equals:
C. $400
Refer to Figure 7-1. With reference to Graph A, at a price of $5, total revenue equals:
C. $500
Suppose that Bobo purchases 1 pizza per month when the price is $19 and 3 pizzas per month when the price is $15. What is the price elasticity of Bobo's demand curve?
C. 4.25
The demand for a product is unit elastic. At a price of $20, 10 units of a product are sold. If the price is increased to $40, then one would expect sales to equal:
C. 5 units
The elasticity of demand is defined as the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in __________.
C. price
Refer to Figure 7-1. With reference to Graph B, at a price of $5, total revenue equals:
D. $200
A 10 percent increase in the price of soda leads to a 20 percent increase in the quantity of iced tea demanded. It appears that:
D. cross-price elasticity of demand for iced tea is -2.
A price cut will increase the total revenue a firm receives if the demand for its product is:
D. elastic
Supply is said to be ____________ when the quantity supplied is very responsive to changes in price.
D. elastic
If the supply curve for housing is perfectly inelastic, then a reduction in demand will cause the equilibrium price to:
D. fall and the equilibrium quantity to stay the same.
The elasticity of supply is defined as the ________ change in quantity supplied divided by the _______ change in price.
D. percentage; percentage
The elasticity of supply and demand determines whether a shift in supply or demand will have a larger effect on quantity or price. Discuss the four scenario outcomes and the various effects on price and quantity.
If demand is elastic, then shifts in supply will have a larger effect on quantity than on price. If demand is inelastic, then shifts in supply will have a larger effect on price than on quantity. If supply is elastic, then shifts in demand will have a larger effect on quantity than on price. If supply is inelastic, then shifts in demand will have a larger effect on price than on quantity.
Suppose that a 20% increase in the price of gasoline causes a 5% decrease in the consumption of gasoline and a 30% drop in the sales of SUVs. What can you say about elasticities?
The elasticity of demand for gasoline is 0.25 (inelastic) and the cross-price elasticity of SUVs with respect to the price of gasoline is -1.5. Gasoline and SUVs are complements.
Define zero elasticity and describe the resultant demand curve.
Zero elasticity refers to the highly inelastic case in which a percentage change in price, no matter how large, results in zero change in quantity. Zero elasticity refers to curves that are vertical.
__________ is the change in what is on the horizontal axis (quantity) divided by the change in what is on the vertical axis (price).
A. Elasticity
A 25 percent decrease in the price of breakfast cereal leads to a 20 percent increase in the quantity of cereal demanded. As a result:
A. total revenue will decrease
Billy Bob's Barber Shop knows that a 5 percent increase in the price of their haircuts results in a 15 percent decrease in the number of haircuts purchased. What is the elasticity of demand facing Billy Bob's Barber Shop?
B. 3
A 10 percent decrease in the price of potato chips leads to a 30 percent increase in the quantity of soda demanded. It appears that:
B. cross-price elasticity of demand for soda is -3.
If the demand curve is perfectly elastic, then an increase in supply will:
B. increase the quantity exchanged but result in no change in the price.
Demand is said to be _____________ when the quantity demanded is not very responsive to changes in price.
B. inelastic
The evidence on the supply curve of financial capital is controversial, but at least in the short run, the elasticity of savings with respect to the interest rate appears to be __________.
B. inelastic
If the demand curve for a life-saving medicine is perfectly inelastic, then a reduction in supply will cause the equilibrium price to:
B. rise and the equilibrium quantity to stay the same.
Demand is said to be __________ when the quantity demanded changes at the same proportion as the price.
B. unit elastic
Suppose that Mimi plays golf 5 times per month when the price is $40 and 4 times per month when the price is $50. What is the price elasticity of Mimi's demand curve?
C. 1
Youth smoking seems to be more __________ than adult smoking—that is, the quantity of youth smoking will fall by a greater percentage than the quantity of adult smoking in response to a given percentage increase in price.
C. elastic
A perfectly elastic supply curve is:
C. horizontal
The longer the time period considered, the more the elasticity of supply tends to:
C. increase
Taxes on goods with __________ demand curves will tend to raise more tax revenue for the government than taxes on goods with __________ demand curves.
C. inelastic; elastic
A demand or supply curve with ______________ would be horizontal in appearance.
C. infinite elasticity
A 10 percent increase in income leads to a 15% decrease in the quantity of macaroni and cheese demanded but no change in the price of macaroni and cheese. From this information, we can assume:
C. macaroni is an inferior good and price elasticity of supply is infinite.
The price elasticity of demand measures the:
C. responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price.
Price elasticity of demand is defined as:
D. the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price.
Define cross-price elasticity of demand and discuss within the context of complementary goods and substitute goods.
The term "cross-price" refers to the idea that the price of one good is affecting the quantity demanded of a different good. Specifically, the cross-price elasticity of demand is the percentage change in the quantity of good A that is demanded as a result of a percentage change in the price of good B. Cross-price elasticity of demand = % change in quantity demanded of good A/% change in price of good B If good A is a substitute for good B, like coffee and tea, then a higher price for B will mean a greater quantity consumed of good A. But if good A is a complement for good B, like coffee and sugar, then a higher price for good B will mean a lower quantity consumed of good A.
What are normal goods and inferior goods? Discuss within the context of income elasticity of demand.
For most products, most of the time, the income elasticity of demand is positive: that is, a rise in income will cause an increase in the quantity demanded. This pattern is common enough that these goods are referred to as normal goods. However, for a few goods, an increase in income means that one might purchase less of the good; for example, a person with a higher income might buy fewer hamburgers, because they are buying more steak instead, or a person with a higher income might buy less cheap wine and more imported beer. When the income elasticity of demand is negative, the good is called an inferior good.
How does the slope of a supply or demand curve differ from elasticity of supply or demand?
This calculation differs from elasticity in two ways. First, elasticity is the change in what is on the horizontal axis (quantity) divided by the change in what is on the vertical axis (price). Thus, elasticity involves run/rise, not rise/run. Second, elasticity is the percentage change, which is a different calculation from slope. A straight line has only one slope, but as the example in the chapter shows, a straight-line demand curve has a different elasticity at every point.
Define wage elasticity of labor supply and differentiate the elasticity between teenage workers and that of middle-aged adult workers in the workforce.
The income elasticity of demand is the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in income. Income elasticity of demand = % change in quantity demanded/% change in income The wage elasticity of labor supply for teenage workers is generally thought to be fairly elastic: that is a certain percentage change in wages will lead to a larger percentage change in the quantity of hours worked. Conversely, the wage elasticity of labor supply for adult workers in their 30s and 40s is thought to be fairly inelastic. When wages move up or down by a certain percentage amount, the quantity of hours that adults in their prime earning years are willing to supply changes but by a lesser percentage amount.
Define the elasticity of labor supply.
The percentage change in hours worked divided by the percentage change in wages
A 10% increase in the price of pizza causes a 10% drop in the quantity of both pizza and beer sold. Describe elasticities and the nature of the two products.
The price elasticity of demand for pizza is equal to (-)1 and the cross price elasticity of beer with respect to the price of pizza is also -1. In this example, beer and pizza complements.
If the question is whether a shift in supply will have a greater effect on equilibrium price or quantity, the answer lies not with the elasticity of supply, but with the elasticity of demand. Why is this?
The shifting supply curve is moving along a fixed demand curve—and the shape of that demand curve will determine the eventual outcome.