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Chapter 2: Q 2.1 (page 27)
Evaluate why everyone, whether poor or affluent, faces the problem of scarcity.
Whether a person is poor or affluent everyone faces the problem of scarcity because human wants are unlimited and the resources are limited.
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Suppose that in Fig 2-1, a student currently is allocating her study time in such a way that she is earning a C in mathematics and a C in economics. What is the opportunity cost, measured in terms of the resulting grade change, if this student wishes to reallocate her study time in order to raise her mathematics grade by one letter, from a C to a B?
Explain why the scarcity problem causes people to consider opportunity costs and trade-offs among choices.
Consider a change in the table in Problems 2-6. The student’s set of opportunities is now as follows: Does the PPC illustrate the law of increasing additional cost? What is the opportunity cost to this student for the additional amount of study time on economics required to move her grade from 60 to 70? From 90 to 100?
| Economics | Biology |
| 100 | 40 |
| 90 | 50 |
| 80 | 60 |
| 70 | 70 |
| 60 | 80 |
| 50 | 90 |
| 40 | 100 |
A nation’s residents can allocate their scarce resources either to producing consumer goods or to producing human capital—that is, providing themselves with training and education. The following table displays the production possibilities for this nation:
| Production Combination | Units of Consumer Goods | Units of Human Capital |
| A | 0 | 100 |
| B | 10 | 97 |
| C | 20 | 90 |
| D | 30 | 75 |
| E | 40 | 55 |
| F | 50 | 30 |
| G | 60 | 0 |
(a) Suppose that the nation’s residents currently produce combination A. What is the opportunity cost of increasing the production of consumption goods by 10 units? By 60 units?
(b) Does the law of increasing additional costs hold true for this nation? Why or why not?
The following table illustrates the points a student can earn on examinations in economics and biology if the student uses all available hours for study. Plot this student’s production possibilities curve. Does the PPC illustrate the law of increasing additional costs?
| Economics | Biology |
| 100 | 40 |
| 90 | 60 |
| 80 | 75 |
| 70 | 85 |
| 60 | 93 |
| 50 | 98 |
| 40 | 100 |
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