Utility: A Measure of the Amount of SATISFACTION A Consumer Derives from Units of a Good Chapter 5: Utility Analysis

Utility as a basis for Demand David's Utility Schedule for Hamburgers Number Total Utility

Diminishing Marginal Utility: Each ADDITIONAL hamburger Produces Less and Less ADDITIONAL SATISFACTION

David's Utility Schedule for Hamburgers Total Utility Marginal Utility (6-0)/1 = 6 (11-6)/1 = 5 (15-11)/1 = 4 (18-15)/1 = 3 (20-18)/1 = 2 (21-20)/1 = 1 ( )/1 = 0.1 Each additional hamburger produces less and less additional utility Number

Indifference Curve: All Possible Combinations of Two Goods that Produce the Same Amount of Total Utility

An Indifference Curve: The consumer is equally happy (satisfied) at any of the points along a single curve

An Indifference Curve represents the same amount of utility everywhere

Indifference Curve for One Utility Level "Convex to the Origin" Preference For some of both Hamburgers and French Fries

Indifference Curves for each Utility Level Indifference curves never touch or intersect each other

Indifference Map utility level 1 utility level 2 utility level 3 utility level 4 More Utility

Budget Line Assume: Price of Hamburger is $1.00 Price of French Fries is $.50 Income is 7.50 Could Purchase 7.5 Hamburgers 0 French Fries or 15 French Fries, 0 Hamburgers 9 French Fries, 3 Hamburgers or Many other feasible combinations with the $7.50of income

Budget Line for $7.50 Income Combinations of Hamburgers & French Fries that can be Purchased for $7.50

An Indifference Curve and Budget Line Specific utility level

3 Point of Tangency between Budget Line and Indifference Curve Determines Optimum Quantities of Hamburgers and French Fries

utility level 2 utility level 3 utility level 4 utility level 5 Indifference Curve Map utility level 1 9

Price of Hamburgers /Price of French Fries = Slope of Budget Line Marginal Rate of Substitution of Hamburgers for French Fries = Slope of Indifference Curve

Optimum Combination: 3 Hamburgers, 9 French Fries where Price of Hamburgers/Price of French Fries = Marginal Rate of Substitution of Hamburgers for French Fries

Impact of More Income A new, higher budget line with the same slope but reaches a higher indifference curve

Budget Line for $7.50 and $12.50 Income $12.50 $7.50

Impact of Price Change for Hamburgers Hamburgers Special Today All you can eat 50 cents each Hamburgers $3.75 each

Price of Hamburgers decreases to $.50 9 Hamburgers x $.50 = French Fries x $.50 = $3.00 still spent $7.50 total 9 6

Price of Hamburgers now $3.75 How many French Fries ?? Quantity of Hamburgers now taken: 1

Tracing the Demand Curve for Hamburgers Price Quantity Demanded Price of Quantity Demanded per unit of time Demand A Demand Schedule for Hamburgers Hamburgers

Consumer demand has its roots in consumer utility theory Price Quantity/ unit of time D