Author Question: To maximize utility, why does a consumer consume the combination of goods that equates marginal ... (Read 59 times)

kellyjaisingh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 540
To maximize utility, why does a consumer consume the combination of goods that equates marginal utility per dollar on the different goods rather than just equating the marginal utility of the different goods?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

In a perfectly competitive market, a permanent increase in demand initially brings a higher price, economic
 
  A) loss, and entry into the market.
  B) loss, and exit from the market.
  C) profit, and entry into the market.
  D) profit, and exit from the market.



shaquita

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 324
Answer to Question 1

The consumer equates the marginal utility per dollar on the goods because goods have different prices. For instance, the marginal utility of a Porsche might be 120,000 units and the marginal utility of a Hyundai might be 60,000 units. The consumer certainly prefers the Porsche to the Hyundai because the former has a greater marginal utility than the latter. However, we did not consider the prices. If the Porsche costs 120,000 and the Hyundai costs 10,000, the marginal utility per dollar on the Porsche is 1 and the marginal utility per dollar on the Hyundai is 6. A Hyundai gives the consumer more utility per dollar. Thus, when maximizing total utility, the consumer compares the marginal utility per dollar, not the marginal utility.

Answer to Question 2

C



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

Patients should never assume they are being given the appropriate drugs. They should make sure they know which drugs are being prescribed, and always double-check that the drugs received match the prescription.

Did you know?

According to animal studies, the typical American diet is damaging to the liver and may result in allergies, low energy, digestive problems, and a lack of ability to detoxify harmful substances.

Did you know?

Warfarin was developed as a consequence of the study of a strange bleeding disorder that suddenly occurred in cattle on the northern prairies of the United States in the early 1900s.

Did you know?

Eating food that has been cooked with poppy seeds may cause you to fail a drug screening test, because the seeds contain enough opiate alkaloids to register as a positive.

Did you know?

During the twentieth century, a variant of the metric system was used in Russia and France in which the base unit of mass was the tonne. Instead of kilograms, this system used millitonnes (mt).

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library