In economics, time is like a superhero with three identities: the momentary run, the short run, and the long run.
Momentary Run (Market Period): Picture a super-speedy market where everything is fixed for producers. They can't make any adjustments, so their supply becomes perfectly inelastic (PES = 0). It's like a robot making the same number of widgets, no matter what the price is. The supply won't budge!
Short Run: This time, producers can make some changes, but not everything. For example, they can hire more workers or make them work longer hours, but some factors of production remain fixed. So, supply becomes price inelastic (0 < PES < 1). Changes in price result in proportionately smaller changes in supply.
Long Run: Now, the producers have all the superpowers! They can change everything, from capital to labor, and adjust their entire operations. So, supply becomes price elastic (PES > 1). They can respond well to price changes and even increase their production size
Real-World Example: Imagine you're running a lemonade stand. In the momentary run, you can't change anything quickly, so your supply won't change even if the price of lemons skyrockets. In the short run, you can adjust a bit, but you can't easily hire more lemonade makers. But in the long run, you can expand your stand, hire more people, and produce lots of lemonade when demand increases!
Let's talk about how easily factors of production (like labor) can move around. If labor can quickly switch jobs or move between regions, it's like having superhero-speed mobility. This makes it easier for producers to meet higher demand.
Real-World Example: Imagine you have a toy factory, and you need more workers to make extra toys for the holiday season. If there are plenty of skilled workers nearby who can quickly join your factory, your supply will be more elastic. But if skilled workers are hard to find, like unicorns, then your supply will be less responsive to demand
Think of spare capacity as extra room to breathe. When a factory has idle machines or unused resources, it can quickly increase production if prices rise. But if everything is running at full speed, it's tough to make more.
Real-World Example: If you have a pizza restaurant with extra ovens and tables, you can easily serve more customers when the price of pizza goes up. But if your restaurant is packed to the brim and you can't cook more pizzas, your supply won't respond as much
Sometimes, finding skilled workers can be like searching for hidden treasure. If your business needs specialized skills, like brainy wizards, it can be harder to quickly increase production compared to businesses that require unskilled labor, like foot messengers.
Real-World Example: A gaming company may struggle to find expert coders when demand spikes, making their supply less elastic. On the other hand, a simple lemonade stand can hire more workers without specialized skills to meet increased demand.
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In economics, time is like a superhero with three identities: the momentary run, the short run, and the long run.
Momentary Run (Market Period): Picture a super-speedy market where everything is fixed for producers. They can't make any adjustments, so their supply becomes perfectly inelastic (PES = 0). It's like a robot making the same number of widgets, no matter what the price is. The supply won't budge!
Short Run: This time, producers can make some changes, but not everything. For example, they can hire more workers or make them work longer hours, but some factors of production remain fixed. So, supply becomes price inelastic (0 < PES < 1). Changes in price result in proportionately smaller changes in supply.
Long Run: Now, the producers have all the superpowers! They can change everything, from capital to labor, and adjust their entire operations. So, supply becomes price elastic (PES > 1). They can respond well to price changes and even increase their production size
Real-World Example: Imagine you're running a lemonade stand. In the momentary run, you can't change anything quickly, so your supply won't change even if the price of lemons skyrockets. In the short run, you can adjust a bit, but you can't easily hire more lemonade makers. But in the long run, you can expand your stand, hire more people, and produce lots of lemonade when demand increases!
Let's talk about how easily factors of production (like labor) can move around. If labor can quickly switch jobs or move between regions, it's like having superhero-speed mobility. This makes it easier for producers to meet higher demand.
Real-World Example: Imagine you have a toy factory, and you need more workers to make extra toys for the holiday season. If there are plenty of skilled workers nearby who can quickly join your factory, your supply will be more elastic. But if skilled workers are hard to find, like unicorns, then your supply will be less responsive to demand
Think of spare capacity as extra room to breathe. When a factory has idle machines or unused resources, it can quickly increase production if prices rise. But if everything is running at full speed, it's tough to make more.
Real-World Example: If you have a pizza restaurant with extra ovens and tables, you can easily serve more customers when the price of pizza goes up. But if your restaurant is packed to the brim and you can't cook more pizzas, your supply won't respond as much
Sometimes, finding skilled workers can be like searching for hidden treasure. If your business needs specialized skills, like brainy wizards, it can be harder to quickly increase production compared to businesses that require unskilled labor, like foot messengers.
Real-World Example: A gaming company may struggle to find expert coders when demand spikes, making their supply less elastic. On the other hand, a simple lemonade stand can hire more workers without specialized skills to meet increased demand.
Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Economics HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟