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Define the economic problem of scarcity and explain how it is caused.
Define the economic problem of scarcity and explain how it is caused.
The economic problem of scarcity refers to the condition where resources are limited but human wants and needs are unlimited. It is caused by the imbalance between the availability of resources and the demand for those resources.
Differentiate between economic goods and free goods.
Differentiate between economic goods and free goods.
Economic goods are goods that require a limited resource to produce and have an opportunity cost. They are scarce and attract a price in the market. On the other hand, free goods are not scarce, have no opportunity cost, and are available in unlimited supply without any price attached to them.
What are the four factors of production? Briefly explain each one.
What are the four factors of production? Briefly explain each one.
The four factors of production are land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. Land refers to all natural resources including land itself, forests, agricultural land, and underground water. Labor refers to the human effort and skills involved in production. Capital includes physical assets such as machinery, tools, and buildings used in production. Entrepreneurship refers to the ability to innovate, take risks, and organize the other factors of production to produce goods and services.
What factors affect labor quantity?
What factors affect labor quantity?
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What is the cost of labor?
What is the cost of labor?
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What are the renewable sources of energy mentioned in the text?
What are the renewable sources of energy mentioned in the text?
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What is the role of entrepreneurship in the economy?
What is the role of entrepreneurship in the economy?
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What does the Production Possibility Curve (PPC) represent?
What does the Production Possibility Curve (PPC) represent?
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What is the difference between a constant PPC and a shifting PPC?
What is the difference between a constant PPC and a shifting PPC?
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What are the three main economic questions?
What are the three main economic questions?
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What is the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics?
What is the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics?
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What are the factors that can affect the quantity of land available for use?
What are the factors that can affect the quantity of land available for use?
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What are the factors that can affect the quality of land?
What are the factors that can affect the quality of land?
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Define sustainability in relation to the environment and the economy.
Define sustainability in relation to the environment and the economy.
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Provide examples of renewable and non-renewable sources of energy.
Provide examples of renewable and non-renewable sources of energy.
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What are some measures that governments have implemented to reduce the rate of depletion of natural resources?
What are some measures that governments have implemented to reduce the rate of depletion of natural resources?
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Define labor and provide examples of labor.
Define labor and provide examples of labor.
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What factors can affect the quantity of labor?
What factors can affect the quantity of labor?
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Define capital and provide examples of capital goods.
Define capital and provide examples of capital goods.
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What is the difference between capital goods and consumer goods?
What is the difference between capital goods and consumer goods?
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What is entrepreneurship and what role does it play in the economy?
What is entrepreneurship and what role does it play in the economy?
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What is the economic problem of scarcity and how is it caused?
What is the economic problem of scarcity and how is it caused?
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What are economic goods and free goods? Provide examples of each.
What are economic goods and free goods? Provide examples of each.
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What is the cost of land and how is land mobility affected?
What is the cost of land and how is land mobility affected?
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What is the mobility of resources and why is it important in economics?
What is the mobility of resources and why is it important in economics?
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What are wants and needs? Provide examples of each.
What are wants and needs? Provide examples of each.
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What is the difference between economic goods and free goods?
What is the difference between economic goods and free goods?
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What is the role of entrepreneurship in the economy?
What is the role of entrepreneurship in the economy?
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What is the payment to owners of resources called?
What is the payment to owners of resources called?
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What are the factors of production that contribute to economic activity?
What are the factors of production that contribute to economic activity?
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What does the term 'Production Possibility Curve (PPC)' represent?
What does the term 'Production Possibility Curve (PPC)' represent?
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What does it mean when a point is on the PPC?
What does it mean when a point is on the PPC?
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What does it mean when a point is inside the PPC?
What does it mean when a point is inside the PPC?
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What does it mean when a point is outside the PPC?
What does it mean when a point is outside the PPC?
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What is the significance of point A on the PPC?
What is the significance of point A on the PPC?
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What is the significance of point B on the PPC?
What is the significance of point B on the PPC?
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What is the significance of point C on the PPC?
What is the significance of point C on the PPC?
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What is the significance of point E on the PPC?
What is the significance of point E on the PPC?
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What is the significance of point F on the PPC?
What is the significance of point F on the PPC?
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What is the significance of point G on the PPC?
What is the significance of point G on the PPC?
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What causes a PPC to shift inwards?
What causes a PPC to shift inwards?
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What causes a movement in the PPC?
What causes a movement in the PPC?
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What causes a PPC to shift outwards?
What causes a PPC to shift outwards?
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What is microeconomics?
What is microeconomics?
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What is macroeconomics?
What is macroeconomics?
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What are the economic agents in micro and macroeconomics?
What are the economic agents in micro and macroeconomics?
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What do households/customers seek?
What do households/customers seek?
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What do firms/companies try to make?
What do firms/companies try to make?
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What does the government want?
What does the government want?
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What is a pure market system?
What is a pure market system?
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What is a planned economy?
What is a planned economy?
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What is a mixed economic system?
What is a mixed economic system?
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What is the public sector?
What is the public sector?
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What is the private sector?
What is the private sector?
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What is a market economic system?
What is a market economic system?
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What is the price mechanism?
What is the price mechanism?
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What happens when customers' demand for a product decreases?
What happens when customers' demand for a product decreases?
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Study Notes
Economics: A Social Science
- Focuses on the analysis of social systems of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services
- Deals with the economic problem of relative scarcity, caused by limited resources and unlimited wants and needs
Wants and Needs
- Wants: non-essential items that we desire (e.g. games, cars, holidays)
- Needs: goods that are crucial to survival (e.g. food, water, shelter)
Economic Goods and Free Goods
- Economic Goods: require limited resources to produce, have opportunity costs, and attract a price (e.g. cars, phones, tables)
- Free Goods: not scarce, no opportunity costs, and attract no price (e.g. air, seawater, wind)
- Some goods can be 'free goods' when abundant, but become 'economic goods' when overused and made scarce (e.g. clean air)
Factors of Production
- 4 factors: Land, Labor, Capital, Entrepreneurship
- Each factor has a cost and mobility:
- Land: rent, immobile, quantity and quality can be improved or deteriorated
- Labor: wages and salaries, more mobile than land, affected by population, education, and healthcare
- Capital: interest, geographically and occupationally mobile, quantity and quality improved by investment and technology
- Entrepreneurship: profits, relatively mobile, involves innovation, risk-taking, and organization of resources
Opportunity Cost
- The next best alternative foregone when an economic decision is made
- Both consumers and producers face opportunity costs
Production Possibility Curve (PPC)
- Shows the maximum combinations of goods and services an economy can produce at a given time
- Displays the maximum output an economy is capable of
- Can shift or move due to changes in resources, technology, or education
Economic Systems
- Pure Market System: minimal government interference, individuals and businesses make decisions
- Planned Economy: government decides what to produce, how to produce, and who receives it
- Mixed Economic System: both private and public sectors play important roles
- Market Economic System: consumers determine what to produce, minimal government intervention, land and capital are privately owned
Micro and Macroeconomics
- Micro: study of behavior and decisions of households and firms, and performance of individual markets
- Macro: study of the whole economy, economy of the whole country
- Microeconomic decisions and interactions add up to the macroeconomic picture
Economic Agents
- Decision-makers in micro and macroeconomics: households, firms, government
- Households/Customers: seek low prices and good quality products
- Firms/Companies: try to make as much profit as possible
- Government: wants a strong economy
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Description
Test your knowledge on the foundation of economics and the concept of scarcity. Learn about the social systems of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Explore the difference between wants and needs and understand how limited resources shape our economic problem.