Monday, January 25, 2016

UNIT 1 Notes

1/5/16
Macro Economics: Economics as a whole includes inflation wage laws and international trade i. e. the whole forest
Micro Economics: Economics as sectors includes supply and demand, market structures and business organizations i. e. one tree

Positive Economics: Statements based on fact and can be proven "Is"
Normative Economics : Statements based on opinion "Should"

Scarcity vs Shortage
Scarce is rare, most fundamental problem to satisfy unlimited demand with limited supply; Shortage is when a product's demand > supply

4 Factors of production:
 Land, Labor, Entrepreneurship, and Capital; Human Capital(knowledge) or Physical Capital(tools)

1/6/16
Trade-offs: alternatives that we give up in exchange for something else
Opportunity cost: next best alternative
Production Possibilities Graph, PP Curve/PP Frontier:graphs alternative ways to graph use of economics resources has 4 assumptions assigned with it;
  1. Two goods are being produced 
  2. Fixed resources 
  3. Fixed tech 
  4. Full employ of resources


If a point is on the inside it is attainable and inefficient
If a point is on the PPC/PPF it is attainable, but hard, and efficient
If a point is outside the PPC it is unattainable with this current level of technology and resources



Efficiency: maximizing use of resources
Allocative resources: Satisfying the public with resources
Productive Efficiency: Products are being produced most efficiently and represents a point on the PPC/PPF
Under-utilization: Not using all resources

3 types of movements along the PPG:
1. point moves to the inside
2. point moves along PPC
3. The PPC shifts

1/7/16

6 Causes for PPC to shift:


  1. Technology increases 
  2. Δ in resources 
  3. Δ in labor
  4. Economy expands
  5. Natural Disasters (war/famine)
  6. Education increases


1/13/16

Price Elasticity of Demand: Measure on how consumers react to change in prices
Elastic demand: E > 1, sensitive to Δ, not a necessity/can be substituted
Inelastic demand: E< 1, not sensitive to Δ, necessity
Unitary Elastic: E = 1

How to calculate PED:
New quantity - old Quantity = Δ% in Quantity demanded
           old Quantity


New Price - Old Price
= Δ% in Price
            Old Price

Δ% in Quantity demanded = Price elasticity of demand
            Δ% in Price

1/14/16

Fixed costs/FC: costs that do not change

Variable costs/VC: costs dependent on quantity

Marginal cost/MC: Δ in Price to produce one more unit

MC = New TC - Old TC

Total FC + Total VC = TC                           AFC + AVC = ATC

TFC / Q = AFC                                         TVC/Q = AVC

TC/Q = ATC                                            TFC = AFC * Q

TVC = AVC * Q                                       TC = ATC * Q




1/15/16
Fire drill

1/18/16

Demand: The # of products people willing or able to buy at various prices
Demand curve always goes down
Law if Demand: Inverse relation of Price to Demand: As price increases, demand goes down. As price decreases, demand goes up
Δ in quantity demand is only affected by Δ in price
Δ in demand has 5 determinants:

  1. Δ in Buyer's taste
  2. Δ in # of buyers
  3. Δ in income (relates to normal goods and inferior goods)
  4. Δ in price of related goods: substitute goods or complimentary goods
  5. Δ in Expectations 


Normal goods: as income increases, demand increases
Inferior goods: as income increases, demand decreases

1/19/16

Supply: Quantities that producers or sellers are willing or able to produce at various prices
"Supply to the sky"
Law of Supply: Directly proportional relation between price and quantity; as price increases so does quantity, as price decreases so does quantity.
Δ in Quantity supplied is only affected by Δ in price
Δ in supply has 6 determinants:

  1. Δ in tech 
  2. Δ in weather
  3. Δ in cost of production 
  4. Δ in # of sellers/producers
  5. Δ in taxes/subsides
  6. Δ in Expectations




1/20/16

Peak - Highest point of real GDP, greatest spending, least unemployment, inflation

Expansion - Recovery, real GDP growing, unemployment decreasing

Recession - Real GDP decreasing, unemployment increasing

Trough - Lowest point of real GDP, highest unemployment











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