The price of DVDs (D) is \(20, and the price of CDs (C) is \)10. Philip has a budget of $100 to spend on the two goods. Suppose that he has already bought one DVD and one CD. In addition, there are 3 more DVDs and 5 more CDs that he would really like to buy.

a. Given the above prices and income, draw his budget line on a graph with CDs on the horizontal axis.

b. Considering what he has already purchased and what he still wants to purchase, identify the three different bundles of CDs and DVDs that he could choose. For this part of the question, assume that he cannot purchase fractional units.

Short Answer

Expert verified

a. Philip must have an extra $40 to buy 3 more DVDs and 5 more CDs from the budget constraint. Thus, for the consumption bundle (6,4), Philip’s income should be $140.

b. The total number of CDs and DVDs which Philip can choose when his income is $100 will be (6,2); (2,4) and (4,3).

Step by step solution

01

Philip’s budget constraint

The budget equation is given by:

PCC+PDDM

where M: Phillip's Income

PC: Price of CD

PD: Price of DVD

C: Number of CD

D: Number of DVD

When the price of CD and DVD are $10 and $20, respectively, Philip income after purchasing one CD and DVD each will be:

10 x 1 +20 x 1 = 30

Thus, the budget equation for the remaining income (70=100-30) will be:

10C+20D70

But Philip is willing to purchase 3 more CDs and 5 more DVDs, which does not satisfy the budget constraint.

The below diagram shows Philip’s willingness to purchase the total number of CDs and DVDs. At the given prices, Philip’s income should be $140, as computed below.

10 x 6 + 20 x 4 = 140

Since the remaining income after purchasing each unit CD and DVD is $70, Philip must have an extra $40 to buy 3 more DVDs and 5 more CDs.

02

Possible bundles subject to an income constraint

Infinite possible bundles give the same satisfaction level on an indifference curve, but the actual possible number of bundles can be obtained according to budget constraints.

Thus, the budget equation for the remaining income will be:

10C+20D70

The consumption bundle available is (5,3). Suppose Philips uses all his income to purchase CDs and DVDs; his budget equation will be 10C + 20D = 70.

The three combinations of bundles that satisfy the above budget equation will be (5,1), (1,3), and (3,2). It is shown by the following computation:

for (5,1): LHS = 10 x 5 +20 x 1 = 70

for (1,3): LHS = 10 x 1 +20 x 3 = 70

for (3,2): LHS = 10 x 3 +20 x 2 = 70

Where the RHS of the budget equation is 70. Thus, LHS=RHS.

Thus, the total number of CDs and DVDs which Philip can choose when his income is $100, given that he has already purchased 1 CD and 1 DVD each, will be (6,2), (2,4) and (4,3). A similar computation done in the previous step can be carried out to prove it.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

In this chapter, consumer preferences for various commodities did not change during the analysis. In some situations, however, preferences do change as consumption occurs. Discuss why and how preferences might change over time with the consumption of these two commodities:

a. cigarettes.

b. dinner for the first time at a restaurant with a special cuisine.

Connie has a monthly income of \(200 that she allocates between two goods: meat and potatoes.

a. Suppose meat costs \)4 per pound and potatoes \(2 per pound. Draw her budget constraint.

b. Suppose also that her utility function is given by the equation U(M,P) = 2M + P. What combination of meat and potatoes should she buy to maximize her utility? (Hint: Meat and potatoes are perfect substitutes.)

c. Connie's supermarket has a special promotion. If she buys 20 pounds of potatoes (at \)2 per pound), she gets the next 10 pounds for free. This offer applies only to the first 20 pounds she buys. All potatoes in excess of the first 20 pounds (excluding bonus potatoes) are still \(2 per pound. Draw her budget constraint.

d. An outbreak of potato rot raises the price of potatoes to \)4 per pound. The supermarket ends its promotion. What does her budget constraint look like now? What combination of meat and potatoes maximizes her utility?

Jane receives utility from days spent traveling on vacation domestically (D) and days spent traveling on vacation in a foreign country (F), as given by the utility function U(D,F) = 10DF. In addition, the price of a day spent traveling domestically is \(100, the price of a day spent traveling in a foreign country is \)400, and Jane's annual travel budget is $4000.

a. Illustrate the indifference curve associated with a utility of 800 and the indifference curve associated with a utility of 1200.

b. Graph Jane's budget line on the same graph.

c. Can Jane afford any of the bundles that give her a utility of 800? What about a utility of 1200?

*d. Find Jane's utility-maximizing choice of days spent traveling domestically and days spent in a foreign country.

The utility that Meredith receives by consuming food F and clothing C is given by U(F,C) = FC. Suppose that Meredith’s income in 1990 is \(1200 and that the prices of food and clothing are \)1 per unit for each. By 2000, however, the price of food has increased to \(2 and the price of clothing to \)3. Let 100 represent the cost of living index for 1990. Calculate the ideal and the Laspeyres cost-of-living index for Meredith for 2000. (Hint: Meredith will spend equal amounts on food and clothing with these preferences.)

Suppose that Jones and Smith have each decided to allocate $1000 per year to an entertainment budget in the form of hockey games or rock concerts. They both like hockey games and rock concerts and will choose to consume positive quantities of both goods. However, they differ substantially in their preferences for these two forms of entertainment. Jones prefers hockey games to rock concerts, while Smith prefers rock concerts to hockey games.

a. Draw a set of indifference curves for Jones and a second set for Smith.

b. Using the concept of the marginal rate of substitution, explain why the two sets of curves are different from each other.

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