In this assignment, you will focus on marginal utility, price elasticity of demand, and understanding the difference between price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand.
We all subconsciously assign “scores” to what we are considering to purchase, based on our expected level of “satisfaction” (marginal utility) with that purchase. When making simultaneous pairs of purchases, again we subconsciously compare the amount of “satisfaction” (marginal utility) that we will receive from the pair of purchases. To decide on the “ideal” combination of these two purchases, we expect that the last dollar we spend on each of the items will give us the “same” satisfaction per dollar (Marginal Utility per dollar). Further, we know that the MORE of an item that we get, the next one we get will give us LESS “satisfaction” (marginal utility) than the last one gave us (the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility). Using what you have learned about marginal utility and marginal utility per dollar, answer the following questions.
Questions
- Jane has been working all day, missing both her breakfast and lunch. Finally able to leave work, after being required to work a couple of overtime hours, she is starving. Jane has $20 in her pocket, so she stops at a local fast food restaurant and orders a grilled chicken sandwich and an order of fries. As she sits down to eat them, a University student approaches her and tells her that she is doing a research project for her microeconomics course, and would like to ask Jane a few quick questions. Jane agrees and the student asks what “score” (marginal utility) from 1 to 100 would she give as her satisfaction level with the 1st sandwich and the 1st fries? After eating that order, Jane is still hungry and orders a second chicken sandwich and another order of fries. Again, the student asks Jane to give her new scores. Since Jane has not eaten all day, she is hungry enough to order a third round of food and again gives “scores” to the inquisitive student.
Below is the University student’s completed experiment tally sheet of Jane’s marginal utility “scores” and the calculation of her marginal utility per dollar, given that each sandwich costs $4.00, and each order of fries costs $2.00. Her budget is $20.
The student filled in the shaded cells based on Jane’s responses, then computed the values in the remaining cells. Using this information, answer the following questions:
Student’s completed experiment tally sheet. Available budget is $20.
Order of mu (score) from 1 to 100 Price of each
$4.00
Money spent on Order of mu (score) from 1 to 100 Price of each
$2.00 Money spent on
Total Money Spent
Total Budget Remaining
Chicken Sandwich mu mu/$ Chicken Sandwich Fries mu mu/$ Fries
1st 100 25 $4.00 1st 50 25 $2.00 $6.00 $14.00
2nd 72 18 $4.00 2nd 20 10 $2.00 $12.00 $8.00
3rd 60 15 $4.00 3rd 6 3 $2.00 $18.00 $2.00
4th 4th
Utility 232 Utility 76
Total utility for both: 308
Total spent on chicken sandwiches: $12
Total spent on fries: $6.00
Total money spent: $18.00
Total budget remaining: $2.00
a. Is Jane maximizing her utility? Explain your reasoning and show any calculations.
b. If Jane is not maximizing her utility, remembering the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, would she be better off to buy one less chicken sandwich and one more order of fries? Explain your reasoning and show any calculations.
c. If Jane is not maximizing her utility with the original purchase combination, remembering the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, would she be better off buying just one more order of fries? Explain your reasoning and show any calculations.
d. If Jane is not maximizing her utility with the original purchase, remembering the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, would she be better off buying one less order of fries and one more chicken sandwich? Explain your reasoning and show any calculations.
- Remembering the learning activity in Unit 3, in the year 107 WBCE (Way Before the Common Era) the Gondwanaland Chairman of Production reported that the gosum berry growers could meet an average demand of 700 barrels of gosum berries per month at an average a price of $70 per barrel.
In the year 108 WBCE, the growers were plagued with a gosum berry bug infestation that reduced average output, causing production to fall to only 600 barrels per month, causing the price to rise to $84 per barrel. The following table shows the chairman’s report:
Year (WBCE) Monthly barrels of gosum berries demanded Price per barrel
107 700 $70
108 600 $84
a. Using the midpoint method, calculate the price elasticity of demand for Gondwanaland gosum berries. Explain what this price elasticity of demand means?
b. Complete the table below by calculating what the monthly average total revenue is for year 107, what the monthly average total revenue is for year 108, and the change in average total monthly revenue for these two years. How have these numbers changed?
Year (WBCE) Monthly barrels of gosum berries demanded Price per barrel Change in
average total monthly revenue Monthly average total revenue
107 700 $70 (enter text here) (enter text here)
108 600 $84 (enter text here) (enter text here)
(enter text here) (enter text here) (enter text here) (enter text here) (enter text here)
c. Using your answer to part a. above, how could you have predicted the change in total monthly revenue that you found in part b. above? - The Gondwanaland Chairman of Production reported that the new Altair chariots (most modern, horse drawn family chariot) had a PRICE elasticity of 3 and an INCOME elasticity of 2. The supply of these Altair chariots is elastic. Evaluate the following statements and explain why you think they are true, or false.
a. A 20% increase in the price of the Altair chariot will cause the quantity demanded to fall by an astounding 60%.
b. An increase in Gondwanaland consumers’ incomes will cause prices to rise, but the total quantity demanded will also increase.
Sample Solution
