1.2.2 The Demand Curve Flashcards
What is demand?
The quantity of a good/service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price, at a particular time.
What is a market?
A market is anywhere buyers and sellers can exchange goods or services.
How is price determined by the market?
The price charged for and quantity sold of each good/service are determined by the levels of demand and supply in the market.
What does the demand curve show?
The relationship between price and quantity demanded.
At any given point along the curve, it shows the quantity of the good/service that would be bought at a particular price.
Demand curve diagram
What is movement along the demand curve caused by?
Changes in price
What is an extension in demand?
When demand increases along the curve
What is a contraction in demand?
When demand decreases along the curve
What does a downwards sloping demand curve show?
The higher the price charged for a good, the lower the quantity demanded.
In general, consumers aim to pay the lowest price possible for goods and services. As prices decease, more consumers are willing and able to purchase a good or service – so lower prices means higher demand.
Diminishing marginal utility
As consumption increases, the marginal utility derived from each additional unit consumed decreases. (Where a consumer is less satisfied with every additional unit of good they are consuming). Example: All you can eat buffets – people want food less, the more they eat.
What does a shift left of the demand curve show?
A decrease in the quantity demanded at every price.
What does a shift right of the demand curve show?
An increase in the quantity demanded at every price.
What are two main factors causing a shift in the demand curve?
- Changes in taste and fashion can cause the demand curve to shift to the right if something is popular, and to the left when it is out of fashion.
- Changes to people’s real income, the amount of goods/services that a consumer can afford to purchase with their income can affect the demand for different types of goods differently.
Normal goods
Goods which people will demand more of if their real income increases.
This means that a rise in real income causes the demand curve to shift to the right – people want to buy more of the good at each price level.
For example, DVDs
Inferior goods
Goods which people demand less of if their real income increases.
This means that a rise in real income causes the demand curve to shift to the left – people demand less at each price level since they’ll often switch to more expensive goods instead.
For example, Bus tickets or cheap clothing.