1. 1.2.2 Unit content Students should be able to: Define demand
Explain how a change in price causes a movement along a demand curve
Assess factors which may cause a shift in the demand curve (conditions of demand)
Distinguish between movements along a demand curve and shifts of a demand curve
Evaluate the concept of diminishing marginal utility and assess how this influences the shape of the demand curve

2. Definitions: market and demand
What is a market?
Buyers demand goods from the market whilst sellers supply goods.
Demand is the amount that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price.

3. Effect of change in price on demand
What happens to the quantity demanded as prices fall?
What happens to the quantity demanded as prices rise?

4. The ‘law of demand’
The ‘law of demand’ states that as a good’s price falls, the quantity demanded increases, so there is an inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded.
Similarly as the price rises, a _______ quantity is demanded.

5. The demand curve
The demand curve shows the relationship between the price and the amount consumers intend to buy at each given price.

6. What does a demand curve show?
What does ceteris paribus mean?

7. The market demand curve
The market demand curve can be found by adding together individual demand curves.

8. Movement along a demand curve
The level of demand determines where on the graph it sits
i.e. low demand is near to the origin and high demand is further away.
A movement along a demand curve only occurs when there is a change in the price of the good

9. Shifting demand curves
Changes in any of the factors other than
price causes the demand curve to shift:
Left (less demanded at each price) or
Right (more demanded at each price)
Price
Quantity

10. What factors shift the demand curve?

11. Inferior goods
Inferior goods are goods for which demand actually _______ as income rise
E.g.

12. Diminishing marginal utility
Demand curves slope down due to the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. This states that as a person increases consumption of a product - while keeping consumption of other products constant - there is a __________ in the marginal utility that person derives from consuming each additional unit of that product.
Remember the marshmallows!

13. Remember marginal utility differs from total utility
Complete the table below and comment
BARS
TOTAL UTILITY
MARGINAL UTILITY 1
100 2
190 90 3
270 80 4 70 5
400 6
450 50 7 40 8
520 9
540 20

14. Exceptions to the rule
There are exceptions to the rule but they are not on your syllabus!
Giffen goods – as the price rises people are forced to buy more as these are staples goods e.g.
Veblen goods – as the price rises people buy more as these are s________ s______ (also known as the conspicuous consumption effect)