Why does a firm in perfect competition produce the quantity at which marginal cost equals price?

What will be an ideal response?


A firm's total profit is maximized by producing the level of output at which marginal revenue for the last unit produced equals its marginal cost, or MR = MC. In a perfectly competitive market, MR is equal to the market price P for all levels of output. These points imply that a perfectly competitive firm will maximize profit by producing the quantity at P = MC.

Economics

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The change in cost that results from a one-unit increase in output is called the

A) average fixed cost. B) per-unit variable cost. C) per-unit total cost. D) marginal cost. E) average cost change.

Economics

Which of the following is not an example of inflation causing a redistribution of income because the inflation was unexpected?

A) Firms have to hire extra workers to change prices because of inflation. B) A firm signs a 4-year contract with a union based on a 3% expected rate of inflation per year, and the actual inflation rate ends up being 5% per year. C) An employee receives an increase in salary that is less than the rate of inflation because management under-predicted inflation. D) A bank collects a lower amount of interest from a loan because inflation was predicted to be 2% but was actually 4%.

Economics

The labor supply curve facing a monopsonist is:

a. downward sloping. b. upward sloping. c. a horizontal line. d. backward bending. e. a vertical line.

Economics

In 2012, the median income of U.S. families was about $86,000

a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Economics