Bernice Has the Utility Function U(x, Y)= Min {X, Y}

question 14

Multiple Choice

Bernice has the utility function u(x, y) = min {x, y}, where x is the number of pairs of earrings she buys per week and y is the number of dollars per week she has left to spend on other things.(We allow the possibility that she buys fractional numbers of pairs of earrings per week.) If she originally had an income of $17 per week and was paying a price of $3 per pair of earrings, then if the price of earrings rose to $7, the compensating variation of that price change (measured in dollars per week) would be closest to

• A)$8.50.
• B)$17.
• C)$35.
• D)$34.
• E)$33.

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Definitions:

Economic Losses

Financial losses incurred due to factors such as market fluctuations, business operation inefficiencies, or external events affecting the economy.

Average Variable Cost

The total variable costs (costs that change with the level of output) divided by the quantity of output produced.

Marginal Revenue

The additional income gained from selling one more unit of a good or service.

Purely Competitive

An alternative term for pure competition, describing a market structure with a high degree of competition, including many sellers offering identical products and free market entry and exit.