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Shape of an Indifference Curve
Convex Preferences
A person is described as having convex preferences if their indifference curves are convex, meaning they bow inwards towards the origin. This shape, which becomes progressively flatter when moving to the right, reflects a diminishing marginal rate of substitution (MRS). The underlying reason is that when an individual has an abundance of one good compared to another, they are more willing to trade a larger amount of the abundant good for a single unit of the scarcer good. As a result, the MRS—the absolute value of the indifference curve's slope—declines as one moves along the curve. This preference structure also means that an individual will prefer a 'mixture' or a weighted average of two bundles over either of the original bundles, if both provide the same utility.
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Introduction to Microeconomics Course
The Economy 2.0 Microeconomics @ CORE Econ
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Optical Illusion of Widening Vertical Distance Between Indifference Curves
Convex Preferences
Comparing Individual Time Preferences via Indifference Curve Slopes
A consumer is indifferent between two bundles of goods: Bundle A (10 slices of pizza, 1 can of soda) and Bundle B (3 slices of pizza, 4 cans of soda). Both bundles lie on the same smooth, downward-sloping, curved line that is bowed towards the origin. What does the shape of this line between points A and B imply about the consumer's preferences?
Analyzing Atypical Consumer Preferences
A consumer's preferences for coffee and croissants are represented by a standard indifference curve that is downward-sloping and convex to the origin. Coffee is plotted on the horizontal axis and croissants are on the vertical axis. Match each description of a position on the curve with the statement that best describes the consumer's willingness to trade at that position.
Explaining the Shape of an Indifference Curve
If a consumer's willingness to trade one good for another remains constant regardless of how much of each good they currently possess, the line representing all bundles of goods that provide them with the same level of satisfaction will be a straight, downward-sloping line.
Evaluating an Argument about Consumer Preferences
The characteristic shape of a typical indifference curve, which is bowed inward toward the origin and becomes flatter as one moves along it from left to right, reflects the economic principle of a diminishing ____.
A consumer's preferences for books (horizontal axis) and movies (vertical axis) are represented by a single, standard indifference curve that is downward-sloping and convex to the origin. The following four bundles of goods all lie on this same curve. Arrange these bundles in order from the point where the consumer is most willing to trade movies for books to the point where they are least willing.
An indifference curve, representing combinations of two goods that provide a consumer with equal satisfaction, is typically drawn as a curve that is 'bowed in' toward the origin (convex). Which of the following provides the best economic justification for this specific shape?
Imagine a consumer's preferences for two goods, Good X (on the horizontal axis) and Good Y (on the vertical axis), are represented by an indifference curve that is downward-sloping but bowed away from the origin (concave). What does this unusual shape imply about the consumer's behavior?
Learn After
Activity: Algebraic Verification of Convexity for Karim's Preferences
A student is indifferent between two consumption bundles for a weekend: Bundle X, consisting of 10 hours of video gaming and 2 hours of studying, and Bundle Y, consisting of 2 hours of video gaming and 10 hours of studying. A third option, Bundle Z, consists of an exact average of the first two: 6 hours of video gaming and 6 hours of studying. If this student's preferences exhibit the standard property of being convex, how would they rank Bundle Z relative to the other two?
Evaluating a Trade Proposal
Explaining Willingness to Trade
An individual's preferences for coffee and donuts are represented by a standard, downward-sloping indifference curve. Consider two bundles of goods on this same curve: Bundle A consists of 10 cups of coffee and 1 donut, while Bundle B consists of 2 cups of coffee and 5 donuts. Assuming this individual's preferences are convex, which statement accurately describes their willingness to trade?
The Interrelationship of Preference Characteristics
A consumer has many apples and very few oranges. As they acquire more and more oranges, they become willing to trade away an increasingly larger number of apples for each additional orange. This pattern of behavior indicates that the consumer has convex preferences.
An individual has convex preferences for two goods, Pizza (on the vertical axis) and Soda (on the horizontal axis), as represented by a single, downward-sloping indifference curve that is bowed towards the origin. Consider three points on this curve: Point A is located high on the curve (many Pizzas, few Sodas), Point B is in the middle, and Point C is located low on the curve (few Pizzas, many Sodas). Match each point to the statement that accurately describes the consumer's willingness to trade at that location.
The economic principle that explains why a consumer's indifference curve is typically 'bowed inwards' towards the origin, reflecting a decreasing willingness to trade away a good as it becomes scarcer, is known as a diminishing __________.
Identifying Convex Preferences from Indifference Curve Shapes
Evaluating a Marketing Strategy Based on Consumer Preferences