If marginal cost is greater than average total cost, then average total cost is rising.

150. If marginal cost is greater than average total cost, then average total cost:A.is minimized.B.is falling.C.will not change.D.is rising.

If marginal cost exceeds average total cost, then average total cost must be increasing sincethe cost of the last unit exceeds the average cost of the previous units.AACSB: AnalyticBLOOM'S TAXONOMY: ComprehensionDifficulty: MediumLearning Objective: 12-6Topic: Cost Curves12-114

Chapter 12 - Production and Cost Analysis I151. If marginal cost exceeds average total cost, then:

Average variable cost increases because when marginal cost exceeds average total cost,marginal costs are rising so that each additional unit of output must be produced fromincreasing amounts of variable inputs.AACSB: Reflective ThinkingBLOOM'S TAXONOMY: ComprehensionDifficulty: HardLearning Objective: 12-6Topic: Cost Curves152. The marginal cost curve intersects the average total cost curve when average variablecosts are:

This must be true because the average variable cost curve reaches a minimum before theaverage total cost curve (MC intersects both ATC and AVC at their minimum points). At anyoutput above the level at which average variable cost reaches a minimum, average variablecost is rising.AACSB: AnalyticBLOOM'S TAXONOMY: ComprehensionDifficulty: MediumLearning Objective: 12-6Topic: Cost Curves12-115

Chapter 12 - Production and Cost Analysis I153. If marginal cost equals average total cost, then:

If marginal cost exceeds average total cost, then average total cost will increase. If marginalcost is less than average total cost, average total cost will decrease.AACSB: Reflective ThinkingBLOOM'S TAXONOMY: ComprehensionDifficulty: MediumLearning Objective: 12-6Topic: Cost Curves154. Whenever the marginal cost curve lies below the average total cost curve the:A.average variable cost is increasing.B.average variable cost is decreasing.C.average total cost is increasing.D.average total cost is decreasing.

Average variable cost can be either increasing or decreasing when marginal cost is less thanaverage total cost, but average total cost must decline if the cost of producing an additionalunit of output is less than the average cost of producing previous units.AACSB: Reflective ThinkingBLOOM'S TAXONOMY: ComprehensionDifficulty: HardLearning Objective: 12-6Topic: Cost Curves12-116

Chapter 12 - Production and Cost Analysis I

Solution:

The marginal cost (MC) curve is the u-shaped curve that is the locus of the cost of creating an additional unit. The marginal product (MP) curve is the inverted u-shaped curve which is the locus of the additional output generated when additional or extra input is added. The MC and MP are inversely related, that is as one rises the other falls. In other words, as the cost of creating an additional unit rises, the extra output added by the additional input falls. So, the correct choice is option c.

Option a is not correct as MC rises, it adds to the variable cost which has an ambiguous result on the average variable cost. Option b is not correct as the average fixed cost (AFC) is not rising, it is falling with increasing output. Option d is not correct as MC and MP are inversely related, so as MC rises MP falls.

Costs of Production in a Perfectly Competitive Market

Main Concept In a perfectly competitive market, there are many economic participants but none have the power to set the market price for a particular product. The price per unit is completely controlled by the market forces of supply and demand, and each firm in the market must sell their product at this predetermined market price. Marginal revenue (MR) can be defined as the additional revenue a firm receives for selling one additional unit of output, and so in perfect competition, it equals the price of the product and can represented by a horizontal line (MR = P) as in the graph below.  Review of the costs incurred when producing and selling products Fixed costs (FC) are expenses to that do not vary with the quantity of output produced (Q). Examples of fixed costs include rent and annual salaries. Variable costs (VC) are expenses which increase with the quantity of output produced (Q). Examples of variable costs include hourly and piece-rate wages, and raw materials used in manufacturing. Total cost (TC) is the sum of the fixed costs and variable costs, so TC = FC + VC. The graph below shows four costs curves for a firm operating in a perfectly competitive market: Average fixed cost (AFC) refers to fixed costs divided by the total quantity of output produced, AFC = FCQ. Average variable cost (AVC) refers to variable costs divided by the total quantity of output produced, AVC = VCQ. Average total cost (ATC) refers to total cost divided by the total quantity of output produced, ATC = TCQ. Marginal cost (MC) refers to the additional cost incurred by producing one additional unit of output, MC = ΔTCΔQ. As you will notice in the diagram below, the MC curve always intersects both the AVC curve and the ATC curve at their respective minimum points. When marginal cost is less than average variable or average total cost, AVC or ATC must be decreasing. When marginal cost is greater than average variable or average total cost, AVC or ATC must be increasing. Therefore, the only possible point at which marginal cost equals average variable or average total cost is the minimum point.  Break-even Point The point at which marginal cost equals average total cost (MC = ATC) is known as the break-even point. When the MR = P line crosses through this point, as is highlighted by the black circle on the graph, the product is said to be selling at its break-even price because the marginal revenue will exactly offset the marginal cost of production, and total revenue will exactly offset total cost. In this situation, the firm will break even: it will not be earning any profits, but it will not be losing money either. If the MR = P line lies above the break-even point, the firm will be operating at a profit, since the revenue earned on each unit of output sold will exceed the average cost of producing a unit of output, and thus total revenue will exceed total cost. If the MR = P line lies below the break-even point, the firm will be operating at a loss because the revenue earned on each unit of output will be less than the average cost of producing a unit of output, and so total revenue will be less that total cost. The graph below is based on a more complex economic model, but can still be useful for exploring the cost curves of an individual firm. The amount of capital used (K) directly impacts the productive capacity of the firm and so changes the quantity of output produced at any given cost. The rental price of capital (k) affects the fixed costs of the firm by adjusting how expensive it is for the firm to operate with their current level of capital investment. Finally, the hourly wage paid to employees (w) affects the firm's variable costs, since producing more output requires more hours of labor, increasing the cost of wages as well.

The following graph shows the cost curves for a firm in a perfectly competitive market. Use the sliders to adjust the firm's productive capacity, fixed costs and variable costs, and see how the cost curves change in response. Also, try changing the market price of the product to create break-even, profit, and loss situations.

Factors Affecting a Firm's Costs and Profitability Amount of Capital (K) Rental Price of Capital k Wage Rate (w) Price as Determined by Market Forces (P)

When marginal cost is greater than average total cost average total cost is rising?

When marginal cost is greater than average average cost?

When marginal cost is less than average total cost average total cost is rising?

What happens when average total cost is rising?