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Chapters 1,2,3
What Econ is about / Economic Activities - Producing and Trading / Supply and Demand Theory
60
Economics
Undergraduate 1
09/22/2009

Additional Economics Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Good
Definition
Anything from which you recieve utility or satisfaction.
Term
Utility
Definition
The satisfaction you get from a good.
Term
Bad
Definition
Antyhing from which yuo recieve disutility or dissatisfaction.
Term
Disutility
Definition
The dissatisfaction you get from a bad.
Term
Land (Resource)
Definition
All natural resources such as, minerals, forests, water, and unimproved land.
Term
Labor (Resource)
Definition
The physical and mental talents people contribute to the production process.
Term
Capital (Resource)
Definition
Produced goods that can be used as inputs for futher production. (Machinery, tools, computers)
Term
Entrepreneurship
Definition
The particular talent that some people have for, organizing resources, seeking new business oppurtunities, developing new ways of doing things.
Term
Scarcity
Definition
Wants are greater than the limited resources.
Term
Opportunity Cost
Definition
The second best option that is sacrificed for a decision. (Going to class instead of taking a nap, the nap is the second best option, so it is the opportunity cost)
Term
Rationing Device
Definition
A means for deciding who gets what of the available resources, or goods. ($)
Term
Marginal Benefits
Definition
The benefits of consuming and additional unit of good. The initial consumption of the good yields the highest benefit. Marginal benefits decrease with each addition good consumed.
Term
Marginal Cost
Definition
The costs connected to consuming an additional unit of a good or undertaking one more unit of an activity.
Term
Decisions at the Margin
Definition
Decision made by weighing the MARGINAL BENEFITS against the MARGINAL COST
Term
Unintended Effect
Definition
A POSTIVE or NEGATIVE outcome that was not anticipated.
Term
Positive Economics
Definition
The study of "what is" in economic matters. Cause -> Effect (How things work)
Term
Normative Economics
Definition
The study of "what should be" in economic matters. (decide how it should be)
Term
Microeconomics
Definition
Human behavior and choices as they relate to relatively small units - an individual, a business firm, and industry, a single market.
Term
Macroeconomics
Definition
Human behavior and choices as they relate to highly aggregated markets (goods or services markets) or the entire community.
Term
Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF)
Definition
Possible combinations of two goods that can be produced in a certain period of time under the conditions of a give state of technology and fully employed resources.
Term
Law of Increasing Opportunity Costs
Definition
As more of a good is produced, the opportunity costs of producing that good increase.
Term
PPF - Constant Opportunity Costs
Definition
If we produce 50k computers we are out of resources to make tvs. If we produce 30k computers we have enough resources to make 20k tvs. (Not using all resources is possible but inefficient)
Term
PPF - Increasing Opportunity Costs
Definition
More realistic than constant opportunity cost. Moving from A -> B is an opportunity cost of 10k computers. B -> C is an opportunity cost of 15k computers. This is possible because of specialized labor forces.
Term
Production Efficiency
Definition
The condition where the maximum output is produced with the given resources and technology.
Term
Production Inefficiency
Definition
Less than the maximum output is produced with given resources and technology.
Term
Third Party Effects on Trade
Definition
Costs -> Negative effects of trade (gov't restricting what can be traded_
Benefits -> Positive effects of the trade. (cash for clunkers)
Term
Comparative Advantage
Definition
The situation where someone can produce a good at lower opportunity cost than someone else can.
Term
Specialization
Definition
Producing goods in which you have a comparative advantage.
Term
Ex Ante
Definition
Phrase that means before. (before a trade)
Term
Ex Post
Definition
Phrase that mean after. (after a trade)
Term
Market
Definition
Any place people come together to trade. (Soda machine, EBAY)
Term
Demand
Definition
People wanting, and being able to buy goods and different prices during a specific time period. (a sorround sound system on rollback right after refund checks come out)
Term
Law of Demand
Definition
As the price of a good rises, the quantity demanded of the good falls, and as the price of a good falls, the quantitydemnaded of the good rises. (price of pizza goes up the less pizza is consumed / price of pizza goes down the more pizza is consumed)
Term
Ceteris Paribus
Definition
Assumption used to examine the effect of one influence on an outcome while holding all other influences constant.
Term
Demand Schedule
Definition
The numerical tabulation of the QUANTITY DEMANDED of a good at different prices. (numerical representation of the law of demand)
Term
Absolute Price
Definition
The price of a good in money terms.
Term
Relative Price
Definition
The price of a good in terms of another good (DVD player = 1/4 of a tv, TV = 4 DVD players)
Term
Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
Definition
The marginal utility or satisfaction gained by consuming equal succesive units of a good will devline as the amount consumed increases
Term
Factors Causing a Shift in the Demand Curve
Definition
Income, Preferences, Prices of substitue goods, Prices of complementary goods, Number of buyers, Expectations of future prices.
Term
Normal Good
Definition
A good the demand for which rises (falls) as income rises (falls). (everyday goods)
Term
Inferior Good
Definition
A good the demand for which falls (rises) as income rises (falls). (broke college student bys Dr. Thunder; Rich College Professor buys Dr. Pepper)
Term
Neutral Good
Definition
a good the demand for which does not change as income rises or falls. (soap...not affected by income)
Term
Substitues
Definition
Two goods that satisfy similar needs or desires. If two good are substitues, the demand for one rises as the price of the other rises (or the demand for one falls as the price of the other falls) - ex. If they charded more for Dr. Pepper than Mtn Dew more Pepper fans will buy Mtn Dew...Great Value vs. Name Brand
Term
Complements
Definition
Two goods that are used jointly in consumption. If two good are complements, the demand for one rises as the prive of the other falls (or the demand for one falls as the price of the other rises). ex. golf clubs and golf balls, if the price of golf clubs rises the demand for golf balls falls
Term
Supply
Definition
The willingness and ability of sellers to produce and offer to sell different quantities of a good at different prices during a specific time period.
Term
Law of Supply
Definition
As the price of a good rises, the quantity supplied of the good rises, and as the price of a good falls, the quantity supplied of the good falls.
Term
Supply Curve
Definition
The graphical representation of the law of supply, which states that price and quantity supplied are directly related.
Term
Fixed Supply
Definition
If you only have 500 seats available you can only sell 500 tickets. (graph has a vertical slope)
Term
Supply Schedule
Definition
The numerical tabulation of the quantity supplied of a good at different prices. (a numerical representation of the law of supply)
Term
Factors that Cause the Supply Curve to Shift
Definition
Prices of relevant resources, technology, number of sellers, expectation of future prices, taxes and subsidies, gov't restrictions.
Term
Change in Supply
Definition
Rightward shift on the graph is an increase in supply. Leftward shift on the graph is the decrease in supply.
Term
Change in Quantity Supplied
Definition
A change in quatity supplied refers to a movement along a supply curve. The only factor than can directly cause a change in the quantity supplied of a good is a change in price of the good.
Term
Market Equilibrium
Definition
The price quantity combination from which there is no tendency for buyers or sellers to move away.
Graphically, equilibrium is the intersection point of the supply and demand curves.
Term
Surplus
Definition
A condition in which quantity supplied is greater than quantity demanded. Only occurs at prices above equilibrium price.
Term
Shortage
Definition
A condition in which quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied.
Shortages occur only at prices below the equilibrium.
Term
Consumer Surplus
Definition
Maximum buying price - Price paid.
The difference b/n the maximum price a buyer is willing and able to pay for a good or service and the price actually paid.
Term
Producer Surplus
Definition
Price received - Minimum selling price.
The difference between te price sellers receive for a good and the minimum or lowest price for which they would have sold the good.
Term
Total Surplus
Definition
The sum of consumers' surplus and producers' surplus.
Term
Price Ceiling
Definition
A gon't mandated maxiumum price above which legal trades cannot be made.
Term
Price Floor
Definition
A gov't mandated minimum price below which legal trades cannot be made.
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