Economic Models of Technology and Cost

Role of Assumptions in the Malthusian Model

A Model of the Economy: Flows of Resources

Technology Switching Due to Changes in Relative Input Prices

Analyzing a Simple Economic Model

An economist develops a simplified representation to explain why a new smartphone's price is highest upon its release and then gradually decreases. The representation includes three key elements: (1) the assumption that the company's goal is to maximize profit, (2) the limited initial quantity of phones available, and (3) the large number of consumers who want to purchase the phone. What is the primary analytical purpose of this representation in economics?

Evaluating Simplifying Assumptions in Economic Models

Consider a simplified economic model of a pre-industrial agricultural society with two core assumptions: 1) The amount of land for farming is fixed. 2) The population will expand if living standards rise above the basic subsistence level. If a new, more productive type of grain is introduced, which of the following outcomes is the most likely long-term consequence predicted by this model?

Match each economic model with the primary question it is designed to answer.

Evaluating the Relevance of a Classical Economic Model

Evaluating the Utility of Economic Models

Technology Choice and Input Costs

An economic model is created to show the relationship between a farmer's hours of labor per day and the amount of grain harvested. The model, represented by a curve on a graph, shows that as labor hours increase, the grain harvested also increases, but each additional hour of labor yields a smaller increase in harvest than the previous one. If the farmer acquires a new tool that makes their labor more productive at every hour, how would this change be represented in the model's graph?

In a simplified economic model representing the interactions between households and firms, there are two primary markets: one for goods and services, and one for factors of production (like labor and capital). If an individual from a household accepts a new job at a manufacturing plant, how is this transaction represented within the model?