Elasticity of Demand and Supply Flashcards
What is the relationship between P and Qd?
Negative. When P goes up Qd goes down. Law of demand.
How much does Qd go down when P goes up?
That depends.
For cigarettes if the price goes up what happens to the Qd?
It stays relatively the same. This is a necessity
What is price elasticity of demand?
A unit free measure that measures the responsiveness of Qd to a change in P.
How do you calculate PED?
%ΔQd/%ΔP
Is PED positive or negative and when?
It is always negative because when P is negative (i.e. when price goes down) Qd goes up so it is positive. When P is positive (i.e. price goes up) Qd is negative.
We thus ignore the negative sign as it will always be negative.
How do you calculate the %Δx?
(X2 - X1)/X2 x 100
ΔX/X2 x 100
So how do we really measure PED? Explain each step
(P2 - P1)/P2 x 100
Which you can simplify as
Qd2 - Qd1 P1
————— x ———
Qd1 P2 - P1
which is the same as
ΔQd P1
——- x ——
Qd1 ΔP
which is the same as
ΔQd P1
——- x ——
ΔP Qd1
So what is the final formula for PED?
ΔQd P1
——- x ——
ΔP Qd1
How many possibilities are there for the result of PED?
3
What are the possible results of PED?
- %ΔQd > %ΔP
- %ΔQd = %ΔP
- %ΔQd < %ΔP
When %ΔQd > %ΔP…
What is the PED?
D is elastic, i.e. Qd is very responsive to a change in P
PED > 1
When %ΔQd = %ΔP…
What is the PED?
D is unit elastic
PED = 1
When %ΔQd < %ΔP
What is the PED?
D is inelastic, i.e. Qd is not very responsive to a change in P
PED < 1
How do you calculate TR?
P x Q
When D is elastic what is your best move?
Decrease the price and total revenue will increase.
Why when D is elastic should you decrease the price?
Decreasing the price will increase the quantity demanded by more than the decrease in price and so the total revenue, being P x Q, will increase.
When D is inelastic what is your best move?
Increase the price and total revenue will increase
Why when D is inelastic should you increase the price?
Because the increase in price will not lead to a bigger decrease in price and total revenue will increase.
When D is unit elastic what is your best move?
Nothing, you have reached maximum TR.
When P is elastic what is the relationship between P and TR?
Negative. When you increase P lots of people leave the market so Q decreases and thus TR decreases.
When P is inelastic what is the relationship between P and TR?
Positive. When you increase P people will stay in the market because the good is a necessity and TR will increase.
Factors that will effect PED:
- Availability and closeness of substitutes
- Percentage of income spent on the good
- Luxury vs. necessity
- Addiction
- Advertisement
- The time period that has elapsed since the price change
How does the availability of substitutes effect PED and elasticity?
The more substitutes for a good the higher the PED and elasticity because if the price changes it is easier to find a replacement so you leave the market and Qd decreases.
The closer the substitutes for the good are to the good, the higher the PED and elasticity.
How does the percentage of income spent on the good effect PED and elasticity?
The more income spent on a good the greater a price change will seem (income effect) and so the more elastic the good becomes.
E.g. if I spent 99% of my income a $1 increase could cause me to leave the market but if I spent 1% of my income I would be more willing to pay the extra dollar.
How does luxury vs. necessity effect PED and elasticity?
If a good is a luxury (an extra item that I don’t really need, just for pleasure) such as a bath bomb then a price change would be more likely to cause me to leave the market rather than a necessity such as medicine. I am more willing to succumb to a price change for a necessity therefore it is inelastic.,
How does addiction effect PED and elasticity?
If I am addicted to something that good will be inelastic because I need it and thus am more willing to pay higher prices for it.
How does advertisement effect PED and elasticity?
Advertising will reduce the competition from substitute goods thus making the good more inelastic.
How does the time period that has elapsed since the price change effect PED and elasticity?
Because consumers have a longer period of time in which to change their D for the product.
How can you figure out the slope of a PED graph?
rise over run
ΔP/ΔQd
What are the special cases of price elasticity of demand?
Perfectly inelastic
Perfectly elastic
What is perfectly inelastic demand?
Qd remains the same no matter what the price
What does perfectly inelastic demand look like on a graph?
Verticle demand curve
What is an example of a perfectly inelastic good?
Drugs and medicine. It is a life and death necessity so you’re willing to pay anything.
What is perfectly elastic demand?
You are able to buy/sell as many units as you want at this price but nothing at any other price.
What does perfectly elastic demand look like on a graph?
A horizontal demand curve
How can a good be perfectly elastic?
You can’t push the price up at all because there are so many perfect substitutes that your consumers will go to their sellers. You can’t push the price down at all because you are making normal profit. P=MC.
Example of a perfectly elastic good?
Agricultural products
What part of the demand curve is elastic and what part is inelastic?
The top half of the curve is elastic because the price is higher so you cannot afford to buy the good if the price rises. (percentage of income)
The middle is unit elastic and the bottom half is inelastic.
How do you calculate marginal revenue?
ΔTR/ΔQ
What is Xedxy?
Cross elasticity of demand between two goods (x and y)
What is Cross elasticity of demand?
A unit free measure that measures the responsiveness of Qd of good x to a change in the price of good y.