Get the answers you've been searching for with IDNLearn.com. Our platform provides trustworthy answers to help you make informed decisions quickly and easily.

Consider the following demand and cost information for a monopoly.

\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
Quantity & Price & Total Cost \\
\hline
0 & [tex]$\$[/tex] 32[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 6$[/tex] \\
\hline
1 & [tex]$\$[/tex] 28[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 20$[/tex] \\
\hline
2 & [tex]$\$[/tex] 24[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 34$[/tex] \\
\hline
3 & [tex]$\$[/tex] 20[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 48$[/tex] \\
\hline
4 & [tex]$\$[/tex] 16[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 62$[/tex] \\
\hline
5 & [tex]$\$[/tex] 12[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 76$[/tex] \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Refer to Table 15-9. What is the marginal cost of the 4th unit?

A. [tex]$\$[/tex] 4[tex]$
B. $[/tex]\[tex]$ 14$[/tex]
C. [tex]$\$[/tex] 31[tex]$
D. $[/tex]\[tex]$ 62$[/tex]


Sagot :

To determine the marginal cost of the 4th unit, we need to understand the concept of marginal cost. Marginal cost is the additional cost incurred by producing one more unit of a good. It is calculated by taking the difference in total cost when production is increased by one unit.

We are given the total cost associated with different quantities in the table provided:
[tex]\[ \begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline \text{Quantity} & \text{Price} & \text{Total Cost} \\ \hline 0 & \$ 32 & \$ 6 \\ \hline 1 & \$ 28 & \$ 20 \\ \hline 2 & \$ 24 & \$ 34 \\ \hline 3 & \$ 20 & \$ 48 \\ \hline 4 & \$ 16 & \$ 62 \\ \hline 5 & \$ 12 & \$ 76 \\ \hline \end{array} \][/tex]

To find the marginal cost of producing the 4th unit, we must calculate the change in total cost when we move from producing 3 units to producing 4 units:
[tex]\[ \text{Marginal Cost} = \text{Total Cost at 4 units} - \text{Total Cost at 3 units} \][/tex]

From the table:
[tex]\[ \text{Total Cost at 4 units} = \$ 62 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Total Cost at 3 units} = \$ 48 \][/tex]

Calculating the difference:
[tex]\[ \text{Marginal Cost} = \$ 62 - \$ 48 = \$ 14 \][/tex]

Therefore, the marginal cost of the 4th unit is [tex]\( \$ 14 \)[/tex].

So, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \$ 14 \][/tex]