OCR A-Level Economics H460
Introduction to Microeconomics
Microeconomics: The Role of Markets
Microeconomics: Business Objectives
Microeconomics: Market Structures
Microeconomics: The Labour Market
Macroeconomics: Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply
Macroeconomics: Economic Policy Objectives
Macroeconomics: Implementing Policy
Macroeconomics: The Global Context
Macroeconomics: The Financial Sector
Quantitative Skills for Economics
Themes in Economics: Synoptic Application
Microeconomics: The Role of Markets
Consumer surplus and producer surplus
- 3 things to know
- Component 01
Overview
Recall questions on defining and locating consumer and producer surplus on a diagram, total community surplus, and calculating each surplus from linear demand and supply equations.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Demand is P = 20 − 0.01Q and supply is P = 2 + 0.008Q, giving equilibrium at £10 and 1,000 units. Calculate producer surplus.
Define consumer surplus.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Define consumer surplus.
Model answer
The difference between the maximum price consumers are willing to pay for a good and the price they actually pay.
- 2
Which area of a demand and supply diagram shows consumer surplus?
Model answer
The area lying below the demand curve and above the market price line, up to the quantity traded.
- 3
Define producer surplus.
Model answer
The difference between the price producers receive and the minimum price at which they would have been willing to supply.
- 4
Which area of the diagram shows producer surplus?
Model answer
The area lying above the supply curve and below the market price line, up to the quantity traded.
- 5
What does the sum of consumer and producer surplus measure?
Model answer
Community surplus, the total welfare gained from the market, which is maximised at the free-market equilibrium when there is no market failure.
- 6
For two demand curves passing through the same equilibrium point, why does the steeper one give more consumer surplus?
Model answer
A steeper curve means many buyers would have paid far above the market price, so the area between the curve and the price line is larger.
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