Micro 1 - 5 Flashcards
Why is economics a social science?
Economics is unpredictable, therefore being a social science
What is a model?
A model is a simplified representation of reality, and includes basic assumptions
Why do economists make models?
Economists make models to understand how people behave and make predictions about the future
What is Ceteris Paribus?
‘all other things remaining equal’.
What is the scientific methodology of an economist?
- Observe people’s behavior in response to something
- Create a hypothesis based on that thing
- Test the hypothesis
- If the evidence doesn’t support the hypothesis, change the hypothesis so it better fits the evidence
What is a positive statement?
A statement that can be tested
What is a normative statement?
A statement that cannot be tested?
What is the basic economic problem?
Unlimited wants and needs, but limited resources
What is opportunity cost?
The next best alternative forgone.
What are free goods?
No opportunity costs as it is unlimited like air
Economic goods?
Limited goods - so they have an opportunity cost
4 factors of production
Land
Labour
Capital goods
Enterprise
What is a factor of production?
The inputs to produce goods and services.
Define and state the reward of the land factor of production
Natural resources like trees or fossil fuels
Reward: Rent (of the land)
Define and state the reward of the Labour factor of production
Human input into the production process like workers
reward: Wages
Define and state the reward of the Capital goods factor of production
A physical resource and a man-made aid for production of consumer goods. (infrastructure)
Reward: Interest
Define and state the reward of the enterprise factor of production
The entrepreneur who brings all of the factors of production together
Reward: Profit
Give 3 examples of infrastructure
Railways, ports, roads
Production possibility frontier
A curve that shows the maximum combination of goods and services that can be produced in a given time period using limited resources.
Productive efficiency definition
When it is impossible to produce more of one good without producing less of another
What 3 things do points on the PPF curve show?
- Full employment
- Potential output
- Productive efficiency
Potential output
Potential output is the maximum amount of goods and services that are being sold to buyers