Economics: Principles & Policy
Economics: Principles & Policy
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781337912679
Author: William J. Baumol; Alan S. Blinder; John L. Solow
Publisher: Cengage Learning US
bartleby

Concept explainers

Question
Book Icon
Chapter 7, Problem 1DQ
To determine

Long run and short run average cost of production.

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark

Explanation of Solution

The average cost of production is calculated by dividing the total cost of production with the quantity of labor used. When the firm operates in the short run and experiences the increase in the output, it means that the cost of labor increases due to the increased payment for extra working hours. In the long run, the firm could install new machineries to increase the output.

In this case, the long run average cost will include the cost of new machineries purchased by the firm whereas the short run does not include this cost. It will look like as the average cost of short run production is lower in the economy. But the case is not like that. Even though the long run average cost includes the cost of new machines purchased, it will be lower than the short run because of the fact that continuously operating few machines and labors for more hours causes physical damages to labor as well as machineries which decreases the marginal product of labor as well as capital. When the short run average cost is less than the long run average cost, the firm will never go for the long run production process.

Economics Concept Introduction

Cost of Production: The cost of production includes all the different kinds of costs incurred by the firm during the process of production. It includes both the fixed as well as variable costs.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
Where can I go to get my own wax supplies?
Problem 2. If the consumer preference can be represented by a CES function with δ = 0.5, i.e. u(x, y) = x0.5 + y0.5. Let the prices and income be (px, py, w).  1. Set up the Lagrangian expression.2. Take the first-order conditions.3. Substitute into budget constraint to derive the optimal consumption bundles.
1. A town relies on four different sources for its non-drinking water needs: dam water, reclaimed water, rain water, and desalinated water. The different sources carry different risks and costs. For instance, desalinated water is fully reliable due to abundant sea water, but it is more expensive than other options. Reclaimed water also has relatively lower risk than rain or dam water since a certain amount can be obtained, even during the dry. season, by the treatment of daily generated waste water. Using any of the four options requires an investment in that resource. The return on a particular water source is defined as the amount of water generated by the source per dollar of investment in it. The expected returns and standard deviations of those returns for the four water sources are described in the following table: Water resource Expected return St. Deviation Dam water 2.7481 0.2732 Reclaimed water 1.6005 0.0330 Rain water 0.5477 0.2865 Desalinated water 0.3277 0.0000 Higher…
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Economics
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, economics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
Microeconomics: Principles & Policy
Economics
ISBN:9781337794992
Author:William J. Baumol, Alan S. Blinder, John L. Solow
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Economics (MindTap Course List)
Economics
ISBN:9781337617383
Author:Roger A. Arnold
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Microeconomics
Economics
ISBN:9781337617406
Author:Roger A. Arnold
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Microeconomics A Contemporary Intro
Economics
ISBN:9781285635101
Author:MCEACHERN
Publisher:Cengage
Text book image
Economics:
Economics
ISBN:9781285859460
Author:BOYES, William
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Micro Economics For Today
Economics
ISBN:9781337613064
Author:Tucker, Irvin B.
Publisher:Cengage,