question
utility
answer
of a consumer, a measure of the satisfaction or happiness derived from consumption of goods and services
question
consumption bundle
answer
of an individual, the collection of all the goods and services consumed by a given individual
question
utility function
answer
of an individual, the total utility generated by an individual's consumption bundle
question
util
answer
a unit of utility
question
marginal utility
answer
the change in total utility generated by consuming one additional unit of a good or service
question
marginal utility curve
answer
a graphical representation showing how marginal utility depends on the quantity of the good or service consumed
question
principle of diminishing marginal utility
answer
the proposition that each successive unit of a good or service ocnsuemd adds less to total utility than did the previous unit
question
budget constraint
answer
the limitation that the cost of a consumer's consumption bundle cannot exceed the consumer's income
question
consumption possibilities
answer
the set of all consumption bundles that can be consumed given a consumer's income and prevailing prices
question
budget line
answer
all the consumption bundles available to a consumer who spends all of his or her income
question
optimal consumption bundle
answer
the consumption bundle that maximizes a consumer's total utility given that consumer's budget constraint
question
marginal utility per dollar
answer
the additional utility gained from spending one more dollar on a good or service
question
utility-maximizing principle of marginal analysis
answer
the principle that the marginal utility per dollar spent must be the same for all goods and services in the optimal consumption bundle
question
substitution effect
answer
the change in the quantity of a good consumed as the consumer substitutes other goods that are now relatively cheaper in place of the good that has become relatively more expensive
question
income effect
answer
the change in the quantity of a good consumed that results from the change in a consumer's purchasing power due to the change in the price of the good
question
Giffen good
answer
the hypothetical inferior good for which the income effect outweighs the substitution effect and the demand curve slopes upward