UNIT 1 AP MACROECONOMICS
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UNIT 1: Basic Economic Concepts
WHAT IS ECONOMICS?
● Economics can be defined as the study of how people satisfy their unlimited wants
while there are only scarce resources available.
● In an economy, if resources are limited and wants are limited, then we have to make
choices - this leads to SCARCITY
● Scarcity: There are limited goods and services available for an unlimited amount of
wants.
People make choices to satisfy the wants that are most important to them.
WHAT IS MACROECONOMICS?
● Macroeconomics studies affects the whole economy, such as: inflation, price
levels,gross domestic product (GDP) rate of economic growth, national income, and
changes in unemployment.
We analyze the economy as a whole, on a macro level
OPPORTUNITY COST
In life and macroeconomics, when we choose to do something (for example watch a movie for 2
hours), we lose 2 hours of time that could be spent on homework. We chose the alternative best
opportunity for ourselves.
● Trade offs: In a trade off, we lose all other options.
PHOTO: https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/2177/economics/opportunity-cost-definition/
Our choices lead to the loss of some opportunities, but there is sometimes a gain from these
choices.
4 FACTORS OF PRODUCTION
● LAND
● LABOR
● CAPITAL
● ENTREPRENEURSHIP
○ Capital goods: Goods made not directly for consumption; for example, the
straw to drink a soda, the oven to bake cookies for sale.
○ Human goods: Human skills that benefit production; for example, education,
companies require workers to have a high school diploma because greater
knowledge and skill will increase the level of production.
Production Possibility Frontier (Curve)
PHOTO: https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/reference/production-possibility-frontier
The PPF displays how there is an unlimited amount of wants for a limited amount of goods
TYPES OF PPF
INCREASING OPPORTUNITY COST, CONSTANT OPPORTUNITY COST &
DECREASING OPPORTUNITY COST
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
The ability to produce the same product(s) at a higher level of efficiency.
CARS BIKES
COUNTRY A 10 5
COUNTRY B 8 2
In the table above we compare the production of cars to bikes. We can view this graph as 2
ratios:
● 10 : 5 → 2 : 1
● 8:2→4:1
○ When producing cars county A will give up 1 bike to make 2 cars, and country B
will give up 4 cars to make 1 bike. Therefore, Country A has the comparative
advantage in producing bikes.
○ In producing bikes, Country A will give up 2 cars to make 1 bike, and country B
will give up 4 cars to make 1 bike. Therefore, country B has the comparative
advantage in producing cars.
Absolute Advantage: The greater number of the amount produced in the production of cars,
country A has the absolute advantage
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
LAW OF DEMAND:
The price and quantity demand of goods and services are inversely related to each other. When
the price of a product increases, the demand for the product will decrease. For example, when
the price of cupcakes triple because of a shortage of flour, the demand for cupcakes will decrease
because of the increase in price.
LAW OF SUPPLY:
The price and quantity supplied of a good are directly related to each other. When the price of a
good increases, the suppliers increase the supply of that good in the market. When the price of
cupcakes rise, the suppliers will produce more of that good because less people may be buying
the cupcakes. (meaning there will be more cupcakes left to buy at the store)
SHIFTERS OF SUPPLY
● Cost of inputs
● Change in productivity/Technology
● Number of sellers
● Government Action Taxes
● Government action Subsidies
● Government regulations
● Expectation of future profit
SHIFTERS OF DEMAND
● Number of consumers
● Change in tastes & preferences
● Change in income
● Change in the price of substitute goods
● Change in the price of complementary goods
● Future expectations
As price increases, quantity increases.
(more expensive cupcakes = more on the shelf and more left to buy)
As price decreases, quantity decreases.
(decrease price on cupcakes = more bought and less supply in store)
PHOTO: https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/overview-of-supply-and-demand%20graphs
■ * ALWAYS LABEL ALL PARTS OF THE GRAPHS - HELPS
STAY ORGANIZED AND REQUIRED ON AP TESTS*
PHOTO: https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microeconomics/supply-
demand-equilibrium/market-equilibrium-tutorial/a/market-equilibrium
EXAMPLE OF SHIFTING
● Equilibrium: Market supply and demand balance each other and as a result, the prices
become stable.
