Refer to the following expanded table from review question 8.

a. What is the equilibrium price? At what price is there neither a shortage nor a surplus? Fill in the surplus-shortage column and use it to confirm your answers.

b. Graph the demand for wheat and the supply of wheat. Be sure to label the axes of your graph correctly. Label equilibrium price P and equilibrium quantity Q

c. How big is the surplus or shortage at \(3.40? At \)4.90? How big a surplus or shortage results if the price is 60 cents higher than the equilibrium price? 30 cents lower than the equilibrium price?

Thousands
of bushels demanded
Price per bushel ($)
Thousands of bushels supplied
853.4072
803.7073
754.0075
704.3077
654.6079
604.9081

Short Answer

Expert verified

a. The equilibrium price of wheat is $4 per bushel. At $4 price, there is neither a shortage nor surplus.

Thousands of bushels demandedPrice per bushel ($)Thousands of bushels suppliedShortage (D>S)Surplus (S>D)
853.407213 (=85-72)-
803.70737(=80-73)-
754.00750(=75-75)0(=75-75)
704.3077-7(=77-70)
654.6079-14(=79-65)
604.9081-21(=81-60)

b. The diagram and supply of wheat in the market is given below:

c. Value of shortage/surplus:

  • At $3.40, the shortage is 13 thousand bushels of wheat.
  • At $4.90, the surplus is 21 thousand bushels of wheat.
  • At a price 60 cents higher than the equilibrium price, the surplus is 14 thousand bushels of wheat.
  • At a price 30 cents lower than the equilibrium price, the shortage is 7 thousand bushels of wheat.

Step by step solution

01

Explanation of part (a)

he equilibrium price is $4 per bushel,where the demand quantity is equal to the supply, which is 75 thousand bushels.At $4 per bushel price, the market clears completely with no shortage and no surplus.

The shortage in the below table is calculated by subtracting the supply (column 3) from demand (column 1) at each rice.

The surplus is calculated by subtracting demand (column 1) from the supply (column 3) at each price.

Thousands of bushels demanded
Price per bushel ($)
Thousands of bushels supplied
Shortage (D>S)
Surplus (S>D)
853.407213 (=85-72)
-
803.70737(=80-73)
-
754.00750(=75-75)
0(=75-75)
704.3077-7(=77-70)
654.6079-14(=79-65)
604.9081-21(=81-60)
02

Graphical representation of the data

The graph is drawn by plotting the quantity variable on the x-axis and the price variable on the y-axis. Based on the values given in the expanded table, the demand curve can be drawn using quantity demanded at each price, and the supply curve can be drawn using the values of quantity supplied at each price. The intersection of these two curves gives the equilibrium price and quantity of wheat.

03

Explanation for part (c)

A shortage occurs when the demanded quantity exceeds the supplied quantity at a given price. Since the equilibrium price is 4, any price below this will create a shortage (demand>supply). A surplus occurs when the supplied quantity exceeds the demanded quantity at a given price. Since the equilibrium price is 4, any price above this will create a surplus (supply>demand).

Thus, consider the following points:

  • When the price is $3.40, the quantity demanded is 85 thousand bushels of wheat, and the quantity supplied is 72 thousand bushels of wheat. The difference is 13 thousand bushels (85-72), which is the shortage amount.
  • When the price is $4.90, the quantity demanded is 60 thousand bushels of wheat, and the quantity supplied is 81 thousand bushels of wheat. The difference is 21 thousand bushels (81-60), which is the surplus amount.
  • When the price is 60 cents lower than the equilibrium price, that is, $4.60, the quantity demanded is 65 thousand bushels of wheat, and the quantity supplied is 79 thousand bushels of wheat. The difference is 14 thousand bushels (79-65), which is the surplus amount.
  • When the price is 30 cents lower than the equilibrium price, that is, $3.70, the quantity demanded is 80 thousand bushels of wheat, and the quantity supplied is 73 thousand bushels of wheat. The difference is 7 thousand bushels (80-73), which is the shortage amount.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What are the determinants of supply? What happens to the supply curve when any of these determinants change? Distinguish between a change in supply and a change in the quantity supplied, noting the cause(s) of each.

Critically evaluate “In comparing the two equilibrium positions in Figure 3.7b, I note that a smaller amount is actually demanded at a lower price. This observation refutes the law of demand.”

Suppose there are three buyers of candy in a market: Tex, Dex, and Rex. The market demand and the individual demands of Tex, Dex, and Rex are shown in the following table.

a. Fill in the missing values.

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c. Which buyer’s quantity demanded increases the most when the price decreases from \(7 to \)6?

d. In which direction would the market demand curve shift if Tex withdrew from the market? What would happen if Dex doubled his purchases at each possible price?

e. Suppose that at a price of \(6, the total quantity demanded increases from 19 to 38. Is this a “change in the quantity demanded” or a “change in demand?” Explain.


Individual Quantities Demanded

Price Per CandyTex
Dex
Rex
Total Quantity Demanded
\)83+1+0=-
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What do economists mean when they say, “Price floors and ceilings stifle the rationing function of prices and distort resource allocation?”

Suppose the total demand for wheat and the total supply of wheat per month in the Kansas City grain market are as shown in the following table. Suppose that the government establishes a price ceiling of \(3.70 for wheat. What might prompt the government to establish this price ceiling? Explain carefully the main effects. Demonstrate your answer graphically. Next, suppose that the government establishes a price floor of \)4.60 for wheat. What will be the main effects of this price floor? Demonstrate your answer graphically.

Thousand of bushels demanded
Price per bushel ($)
Thousands of bushel supplied
853.4072
803.7073
754.0075
704.3077
654.7079
604.9081
See all solutions

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