Copyright ©2003, South-Western College Publishing Contemporary Economics: An Applications Approach By Robert J. Carbaugh 2nd Edition Chapter 4: Production and the Costs of Production
Carbaugh, Chap. 4 2 Short-run production function Production Functions Labor inputTotal productMarginal product (workers per day)(output per day)(output per day)0 11,0001,000 22,2001,200 33,5001,300 44,7001,200 55,8001,100 Production table for block company
Carbaugh, Chap. 4 3 Short-run production functions (cont’d) Production Functions TP MP Total product curve Marginal product curve Increasing marginal returns Diminishing marginal returns Total product Marginal product Labor input
Carbaugh, Chap. 4 4 Shifts in product curves Production Functions TP 1 MP 1 Increase in total product curveIncrease in marginal product curve Total product TP 0 Marginal product MP 0
Carbaugh, Chap. 4 5 Hypothetical short-run cost schedules Average Costs Total cost Costs Total fixed cost 50 Total variable cost Total Cost Average variable cost Average total cost Marginal cost
Carbaugh, Chap. 4 6 Hypothetical long-run average total cost curve Long-Run Costs Cost per unit Diseconomies of scale Constant returns to scale Economies of scale LRATC Q2Q2 Q1Q1
Carbaugh, Chap. 4 7 Shifts in cost curves Changing Costs Cost per unit Minimum cost after technological improvement, fall in resource prices or fall in taxes Initial minimum cost C0C0 C1C1 MC 0 ATC 0 MC 1 ATC 1