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Economics
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study of how scarce resources are used to satisfy unlimited want
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Exogeneous/Independent Variable
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variables that come from outside the model
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Endogenous/Dependent Variable
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variables that models are trying to explain
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Production Possibilites Frontier (PPF)
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shows max combination of goods that can be produced within a given set of resources & given technology
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Opportunity Cost
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highest valued alternative that is given up to get one additional unit of something
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Absolute Advantage
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ability to produce a good using fewer resources
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Comparative Advantage
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ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost
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Demand
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the various quantities of a specific good consumers are willing & able to purchase at various prices
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Law of Demand
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as the price of a good falls/rises, the qty consumers purchase rises/falls
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Supply
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the various quantities of a specific good producers are willing and able to sell at various prices
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Equilibrium
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a situation where there is no tendency for change
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Thomas Malthus
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invented the law of diminishing marginal product
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Law of Diminishing Marginal Product
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as increasing amounts of 1 input are added to fixed amounts of another, eventually increase in Q occurs at a decreasing rate
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Production Function
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shows the amount of Q that can be produced with a given set of inputs & given technology
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Total Product Curve
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graphical depiction of Production Function
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Marginal Product
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change Q / change L
-shows the additional Q from using 1 more of variable input
-shows the additional Q from using 1 more of variable input
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Average Product
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Q / L
-shows the average amount produced by certain type of input
-shows the average amount produced by certain type of input
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Variable Input
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an input whose usage can be altered
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Fixed Input
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an input whose usage cannot be altered in the Short run
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Implicit Costs
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non-monetary costs
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Explicit Costs
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monetary costs
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Short Run
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the period of time where at least one input is fixed
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Long Run
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the period of time where all inputs are variable
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Profits
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Total Revenues - Total Costs
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Total Variable Costs
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costs of all variable inputs
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Total Fixed Costs
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the cost of all fixed inputs
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Total Costs
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TVC + TFC
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Average Variable Costs
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what it costs, on average, in terms of variable inputs used to produce each unit of output
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Average Fixed Costs
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what it costs, on average, in terms of fixed inputs used to produce each unit of output
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Average Total Costs
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what it costs, on average to produce each unit of output
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Marginal Costs
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the change in total costs from producing an additional unit
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Marginal Revenue
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the change in total revenue from selling an additional unit
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Total Revenue
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Price X Units sold
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Perfect Competition
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many buyers & many sellers producing homogeneous product, free entry & exit
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Price Taker
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buyers & sellers who have no ability through their actions to alter market price
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Shut Down Point
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when the losses from producing = the losses from not producing for a firm
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Firm's Supply Curve
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the MC above the min of the AVC
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Long Run Average Cost Curve
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outside envelope of the ATC when all inputs usage is altered
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Increasing Returns to Scale
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per unit costs decrease as the scale of operation increases
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Constant Returns to Scale
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per unit costs are constant as the scale of operation increases
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Decreasing Returns to Scale
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per unit costs increase as the scale of operation increases
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Increasing Cost Competitive Industry
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comp industry where the LR supply is upward sloping
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Constant Cost Competitive Industry
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comp industry where the LR supply is horizontal
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Decreasing Cost Competitive Industry
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comp industry where the LR supply is downward sloping
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Monopoly
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a single producer of a unique product
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Monopolistic Competition
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multiple producers of slightly different products