Questions and Answers
What is the price elasticity of demand when it is perfectly inelastic?
Equal to zero
When is a demand curve considered elastic?
When an increase in price reduces the quantity demanded a lot
What does the midpoint formula for price elasticity of demand help solve?
Dependence on the choice of starting point for percentage change calculation
What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is less than one?
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According to the elasticity rule, which curve is considered more elastic when two linear demand curves run through a common point?
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What does the midpoint method calculate changes in a variable compared with?
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What does it mean when a demand curve is inelastic?
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When is demand considered perfectly elastic?
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What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is greater than one?
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What does elasticity allow us to analyze with greater precision?
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What happens to total revenue when the demand for a good is elastic?
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What does a perfectly inelastic demand curve look like?
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When is demand considered unit-elastic?
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What does a perfectly elastic demand curve look like?
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When is demand considered inelastic?
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What does it mean when demand for a good is perfectly elastic?
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Why does it matter whether demand is unit-elastic, inelastic, or elastic?
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What happens to total revenue when a seller raises the price of a good with elastic demand?
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What is the formula for price elasticity of demand using the midpoint method?
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What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is equal to 1?
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In which case is demand considered perfectly inelastic?
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What happens to total revenue when the demand for a good is elastic?
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According to the elasticity rule, which curve is considered more elastic when two linear demand curves run through a common point?
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What does a demand curve look like when demand is perfectly elastic?
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What does it mean when a demand curve is inelastic?
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What does a perfectly inelastic demand curve look like?
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When is a demand curve considered elastic?
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What does the midpoint method calculate changes compared with?
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When is demand considered unit-elastic?
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What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is less than one?
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What happens to total revenue when a seller raises the price of a good with elastic demand?
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What does a perfectly elastic demand curve look like?
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What does a perfectly inelastic demand curve look like?
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Why does it matter whether demand is unit-elastic, inelastic, or elastic?
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What is the formula for price elasticity of demand using the midpoint method?
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When is demand considered perfectly inelastic?
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What does the midpoint method calculate changes compared with?
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What happens to total revenue when a seller raises the price of a good with elastic demand?
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According to the elasticity rule, which curve is considered more elastic when two linear demand curves run through a common point?
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What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is less than one?
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What does a perfectly elastic demand curve look like?
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What does it mean when a demand curve is inelastic?
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What happens to total revenue when the demand for a good is elastic?
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When is demand considered unit-elastic?
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What happens to total revenue when demand for a good is elastic?
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What does a perfectly inelastic demand curve look like?
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When is demand considered unit-elastic?
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What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is less than 1?
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What does it mean when a seller raises the price of a good with elastic demand?
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What does it mean when demand for a good is perfectly elastic?
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What does it mean if the price elasticity of demand is greater than 1?
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Study Notes
Price Elasticity of Demand
- When the price elasticity of demand is perfectly inelastic, it means that the quantity demanded does not change in response to a change in price.
Elasticity of Demand Curve
- A demand curve is considered elastic if a small price change leads to a large quantity change.
- A demand curve is considered inelastic if a large price change leads to a small quantity change.
Midpoint Formula
- The midpoint formula for price elasticity of demand helps solve the problem of averaging the two prices and quantities when calculating elasticity.
Price Elasticity Interpretation
- If the price elasticity of demand is less than one, demand is inelastic, meaning small price changes lead to small quantity changes.
- If the price elasticity of demand is greater than one, demand is elastic, meaning small price changes lead to large quantity changes.
- If the price elasticity of demand is equal to one, demand is unit-elastic, meaning small price changes lead to proportional quantity changes.
Elasticity Rule
- According to the elasticity rule, when two linear demand curves run through a common point, the steeper curve is more inelastic, and the flatter curve is more elastic.
Midpoint Method
- The midpoint method calculates changes in a variable compared to the average of the initial and final values.
Demand Curve Shapes
- A perfectly inelastic demand curve is a vertical line, indicating that quantity demanded does not change in response to price changes.
- A perfectly elastic demand curve is a horizontal line, indicating that a small price change leads to an infinite quantity change.
Total Revenue
- When demand is elastic, a price increase leads to a decrease in total revenue.
- When demand is inelastic, a price increase leads to an increase in total revenue.
Importance of Elasticity
- Elasticity allows us to analyze the responsiveness of demand and supply to changes in price and other factors with greater precision.
- It matters whether demand is unit-elastic, inelastic, or elastic because it affects how businesses and policymakers make decisions about pricing and production.