Two Firms, Wickedly Efficient Widgets (WEW) and Wildly Nepotistic Widgets

question 21

Multiple Choice

Two firms, Wickedly Efficient Widgets (WEW) and Wildly Nepotistic Widgets (WNW) , both produce widgets with the same production function , where K is the input of capital and L is the input of labor. Each company can hire labor at $1 per unit and capital at $1 per unit. WEW produces 10 widgets per week, choosing its input combination so as to produce these 10 widgets in the cheapest way possible. WNW also produces 10 widgets per week, but its dotty CEO requires it to use twice as much labor as WEW uses. Given that it must use twice as many laborers as WEW does and must produce the same output, how much larger are WNW's total costs than WEW's?

• A) $10 per week
• B) $20 per week
• C) $15 per week
• D) $5 per week
• E) $2 per week

---

Definitions:

Dependent Variable

In research, it's the variable that is being tested and measured, expected to change as a result of manipulations to the independent variable.

Manipulated

Refers to the controlled alteration or handling of variables in experiments to determine cause-and-effect relationships.

Placebo Effect

The phenomenon that occurs in an experiment when a participant’s response to a treatment is due to his or her expectations about the treatment rather than to the treatment itself.

Sugar Pill

A placebo, often used in medical trials to test the efficacy of new drugs by comparing their effects to those of an inert pill.