12.02.2018 Views

Holt 7525-9 S15_IT

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

In this case (as in Example 8D), the utility-maximizing combination is seven units of Good X and<br />

one unit of Good Y. The marginal utility of the seventh unit of Good X is 10 utils. The marginal<br />

utility of the first unit of Good Y is 30 utils. So the marginal rate of substitution will be 3 units of<br />

Good X for 1 unit of Good Y. This is also the slope of the budget constraint (since the price of<br />

Good Y is 3 times the price of Good X).<br />

With the increase in the price of Good Y from $1 to $3, the quantity demanded of Good Y<br />

decreases from four units to one unit. So we can derive a demand curve for Good Y. See the<br />

graph below:<br />

Price<br />

$<br />

4-<br />

3-<br />

2-<br />

1-<br />

0 <br />

0 1 2 3 4 5<br />

D<br />

Quantity Demanded<br />

Appendix: The Efficiency of Money Gifts<br />

In terms of efficiency, money gifts are superior to nonmoney gifts. If a money gift is given, the<br />

recipient can use the money to purchase the goods that will provide the most marginal utility to<br />

the recipient.<br />

Example 13: Sheila receives a gift of diamond earrings costing $250 from her aunt. If Sheila had<br />

received $250 from her aunt, she could have spent the money on exactly the goods that would<br />

give her the most marginal utility. It is possible that Sheila would purchase the earrings, but<br />

probably not.<br />

Study Guide for Chapter 18<br />

Chapter Summary for Chapter 18<br />

Utility is a measure of the satisfaction received from the consumption of a good. The best<br />

measure of the utility that a person receives from consuming a good is the price that the person is<br />

willing to pay for the good. Since consumers do not all have the same amount of income, price<br />

does not provide an objective comparison of the utility received by different persons.<br />

Marginal utility is the additional utility received from consuming an additional unit of a good.<br />

According to the law of diminishing marginal utility, the marginal utility from consuming additional<br />

units of a good eventually declines. The law of diminishing marginal utility seems to indicate that<br />

additional income would provide greater utility to a low-income person than to a high-income<br />

person. However, the utility received by one person cannot be scientifically or objectively<br />

compared to that received by another person.<br />

FOR REVIEW ONLY - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION<br />

Utility 18 - 8

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!