Review of The Previous Lecture
Review of The Previous Lecture
The supply curve shows how the quantity of a good supplied depends upon the price.
According to the law of supply, as the price of a good rises, the quantity supplied
rises. Therefore, the supply curve slopes upward.
In addition to price, other determinants of how much producers want to sell
include input prices, technology, expectations, and the number of sellers.
If one of these factors changes, the supply curve shifts.
At the equilibrium price, the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied.
The behavior of buyers and sellers naturally drives markets toward their equilibrium.
Lecture 4
Elasticity
Instructor: Prof.Dr.Qaisar Abbas
Course code: ECO 400
Lecture Outline
1. Elasticity of demand
2. Elasticity of supply
3. Applications of supply demand elasticity
Elasticity
Allows us to analyze supply and demand with greater precision.
It is a measure of how much buyers and sellers respond to changes in market
conditions
Price Elasticity
The price elasticity of demand is computed as the percentage change in the
quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price.
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e in q u a n tity d e m a n d e d
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e in p ric e
Example: If the price of an ice cream cone increases from $2.00 to $2.20 and
the amount you buy falls from 10 to 8 cones, then your elasticity of demand
would be calculated as:
(1 0 8 )
100
20%
10
2
( 2 .2 0 2 .0 0 )
100 10%
2 .0 0
Elastic Demand
Perfectly Inelastic
Perfectly Elastic
Unit Elastic
Price Elasticity
The Price Elasticity of Demand
Price Elasticity
The Price Elasticity of Demand
Price Elasticity
The Price Elasticity of Demand
Price Elasticity
Total Revenue and the Price Elasticity of Demand
Total revenue is the amount paid by buyers and received by sellers of a good.
Computed as the price of the good times the quantity sold.
TR = P x Q
Price Elasticity
Elasticity and Total Revenue along a Linear Demand Curve
With an inelastic demand curve, an increase in price leads to a decrease in
quantity that is proportionately smaller. Thus, total revenue increases.
How Total Revenue Changes When Price Changes: Inelastic Demand
Price Elasticity
Elasticity and Total Revenue along a Linear Demand Curve
With an elastic demand curve, an increase in the price leads to a decrease
in quantity demanded that is proportionately larger. Thus, total revenue
decreases.
How Total Revenue Changes When Price Changes: Elastic Demand
Price Elasticity
Elasticity of a Linear Demand Curve
Income elasticity of demand measures how much the quantity demanded of a good
responds to a change in consumers income.
It is computed as the percentage change in the quantity demanded divided by the
percentage change in income.
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
in q u a n tity d e m a n d e d
In c o m e e la s tic ity o f d e m a n d =
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
in in c o m e
Types of Goods
1. Normal Goods
2. Inferior Goods
Higher income raises the quantity demanded for normal goods but lowers the
quantity demanded for inferior goods.
Elasticity
Income Elasticity
Goods consumers regard as necessities tend to be income inelastic
Examples include food, fuel, clothing, utilities, and medical services.
Goods consumers regard as luxuries tend to be income elastic.
Examples include sports cars, furs, and expensive foods.
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
in q u a n tity s u p p lie d
P ric e e la s tic ity o f s u p p ly =
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e in p ric e
Application of Elasticity
Can good news for farming be bad news for farmers?
What happens to wheat farmers and the market for wheat when university agronomists
discover a new wheat hybrid that is more productive than existing varieties?
Application of Elasticity
Why Did OPEC Fail To Keep The Price Of Oil High?
Summary
Price elasticity of demand measures how much the quantity demanded responds to
changes in the price.
If a demand curve is elastic, total revenue falls when the price rises.
The income elasticity of demand measures how much the quantity demanded
responds to changes in consumers income.
The cross-price elasticity of demand measures how much the quantity demanded of
one good responds to the price of another good.
The price elasticity of supply measures how much the quantity supplied responds to
changes in the price. .
Summary
In most markets, supply is more elastic in the long run than in the short run.
The tools of supply and demand can be applied in many different types of markets.