Principles of Microeconomics Problem Set 8 1. Both the slope of the

Principles of Microeconomics Problem Set 8 1. Both the slope of the demand curve and the elasticity of demand are measures of how consumers alter their quantities demanded in response to changes in price. a. How are the two concepts different from each other? b. Given a negatively sloped straight­line demand curve, how will slope and elasticity differ? c. Given a vertical or horizontal demand curve, how will they differ? 2. Consider a competitive market for rolled steel (measured by the ton) with just two firms: SmallCo and BigCo. If we wanted to be more realistic, we could say there were 100 firms like SmallCo and 100 firms like BigCo, but that would just make the math harder without generating any insight. The two firms have marginal cost schedules like this: a. We’ll ignore fixed costs of starting up the firms just to make things a little simpler. What is the total cost at each firm of producing each level of output? Fill in the table. b. What’s the cheapest way to make 11 tons of steel? 5 tons? c. What would the price have to be in this competitive market for these two firms to produce a total of 11 tons of steel? 5 tons? d. Suppose that a government agency looked at BigCo and SmallCo’s cost curves. Which firm looks like the low­cost producer to a government agency? Would it be a good idea, an efficient policy, for the government to shut down the high­cost producer? In other words, could a government intervention do better than the invisible hand in this case? e. Let’s make part d more concrete: What would the total cost be if BigCo were the only firm in the market, and it had to produce 7 tons of rolled steel? What would marginal and total cost be if SmallCo and BigCo let the invisible hand divvy up the work between them? Principles of Microeconomics Problem Set 8 3. Take a look at the two marginal cost functions below. Based on the graphs of these two marginal cost functions, fill in the table below, for industry­wide marginal cost, assuming that production is divided up among the two firms according to Invisible Hand Principle 1. Then, create a graph of the industry marginal cost curve.To help you get started, take a look at the table and answer the following questions. Which firm produces the first unit of industry output? Which firm produces the second unit of industry output? Why?
4. In the following diagram, label the marginal revenue curve, the profit­maximizing price, the profit­maximizing quantity, the profit, and the deadweight loss. Principles of Microeconomics Problem Set 8 5. a. What’s the rule: Monopolists charge a higher markup when demand is highly elastic or when it’s highly inelastic? b. What’s the rule: Monopolists charge a higher markup when customers have many good substitutes or when they have few good substitutes? c. For the following pairs of goods, which producer is more likely to charge a bigger markup? Why? i. Someone selling new trendy shoes, or someone selling ordinary tennis shoes? ii. A movie theater selling popcorn or a New York City street vendor selling popcorn? iii. A pharmaceutical company selling a new powerful antibiotic or a firm selling a new powerful cure for dandruff? 6. A dry cleaner has a sign in its window: “Free Internet Coupons.” The dry cleaner lists its Web site, and indeed there are good discounts available with the coupons. Most customers don’t use the coupons. a. What probably would be the main difference between customers who use the coupons and those who don’t? b. Some people might think “The dry cleaner offers the coupons to get people in the door to try the place out, but then the customers will pay the normal high price afterward.” But the coupons are always there, so even repeat customers can keep using the coupons. Is this a mistake on the business owner’s part? Hint: Think about marginal cost.