Econ:Elasticity and Conumer Choice Flashcards
Elasticity
highly Elastic
very responsive (sensitive)
Elasticity
- Measure of responsiveness
- Degree of sensitivity
- Measures how change in one variable affects another variable
Elasticity
low elastice
not quite responsive (not very sensitive) ; inelastice
Price Elasticity of Demand (Ep)
- the responsiveness of Qd of a commodity to the changes in its Price
- how a consumer responds to a price change
Elastic Demand
Very responsive (sensitive)
Inelastic Demand
Not very responsive (sensitive)
Elasticity is: (4)
- unit free measurement
- always analyzed in absolute terms
- Ep > 1 Elastic Demand
Ep < 1 Inelastic Demand - calculate using midpoint formula
Ep > 1
% change Qd > % change P
Elastic
Relatively flat; more horizontal, the flatter the demand, the more elastic the demand
Ep < 1
% change Qd < % change P Inelastic The steeper (vertical) the demand, the more inelastic the demand
Extreme Cases of Price Elasticity of Demand (3)
- perfectly elastic demand
- perfectly elastic demand
- unit elastic demand
Perfectly Inelastic Ep
buyer does not respond to any price change
Ep=0
buyer will always purchase a fixed quantity
Demand curve is vertical
Perfectly Elastic Demand Ep
Infinite elasticity Ep= infinity extremely sensitive to price changes any price below P : buyer purchases extremely large Q any price above P : buyer purchases 0 Q Demand curve is horizontal
Unit Elastic Demand Ep
% change Qd = % change P
Ep=1
fixed budget
total revenue remains constant
Determinate’s of Ep (4)
- The availability of substitute goods
- The percent of the budget the good takes
- Passage of Time
- The nature of the good
Determinate of Ep : The availability of substitute goods
- more available substitute–> more Elastic Demand
a lot of types of substitutes - less available substitute–> more Inelastic Demand
not a lot of types of substitutes
Determinate of Ep : The percent of the budget that good takes
- greater %budget good takes–> more Elastic Demand
2. less %budget good takes–> more Inelastic Demand
Determinate of Ep : Passage of Time
- more time buyer has to adjust to P change–> more Elastic Demand
- less time buyer has to adjust to P change–> more Inelastic Demand
Determinate of Ep : The nature of the good
- luxury good–> Elastic Demand
2. Necessity good–> Inelastic Demand
Elasticity of Demand Ep and Total Revenue Test
Firm tries to predict how a price change effects the total revenue
TR = P x Q
TR = price per unit x number of units
Rules for the Total Revenue Test (3)
- Elastic Demand
- Unit Elastic Demand
- Inelastic Demand
Rules for Revenue Test : Elastic Demand
Ep > 1
inverse relationship
change P decreases change in TR increases
Rules for the Total Revenue Test : Unit Elastic
Ep=1
change P increases; TR– no effect
change P decreases; TR– no effect
Rules for Total Revenue Test : Inelastic Demand
Ep < 1
direct relationship
change P increases ; change TR increase
change P decreases ; change TR decreases
Ep looks at?
movement along a stationery demand curve.
Cross Price Elasticity (CO)
measures responsiveness of the buyers to change in P of related goods
Exy
x ; how quantity of x is related to price of y
y ; price of related goods
Exy > 0
(+) substitute
larger the # is (+) the more indicates its a substitute
Exy < 0
(-) compliment
the larger the # is (-) the more it indicates its a compliment good