Newspaper Machines and Soda Vending Machines Operate Very Differently

question 16

Essay

Newspaper machines and soda vending machines operate very differently. The newspaper machine is a mechanical box. You place your four quarters in the machine and you open the door and low and behold there is a stack of newspapers at your disposal. Most people take one and close the door for the next patron to purchase his own copy. But notice that soda vending machines don't operate the same way. They are also mechanical but when the four quarters are inserted and a selection is made only one can of soda is available for the consumer to purchase. Explain in terms of marginal utility why these two machines are designed so differently?

---

Definitions:

Perfectly Competitive

A market structure characterized by a large number of small firms, homogeneous products, free entry and exit, and perfect information, leading to an efficient allocation of resources.

Market Price

The ongoing price for acquiring or disposing of goods or services in a market setting.

Profit-Maximizing

The process or strategy employed by firms to determine the level of output and pricing that leads to the highest possible profits.

Market Price

Market price is the current price at which a good or service can be bought or sold in a marketplace, determined by supply and demand dynamics.