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DIAMOND-WATER PARADOX: The perplexing observation that water, which is more useful than diamonds, has a lower price. If price is related to utility, how can this occur? This paradox was first proposed by classical economists in the 19th century and was subsequently used as a stepping stone for developing the notion of marginal utility and the role it plays in the demand price of a good. The paradox is magically cleared up with an understanding of marginal utility and total utility. People are willing to pay a higher price for goods with greater marginal utility. As such, water which is plentiful has enormous total utility, but a low price because of a low marginal utility. Diamonds, however, have less total utility because they are less plentiful, but a high price because of a high marginal utility.
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PRODUCTION POSSIBILITIES CURVE A curve that illustrates the production possibilities of an economy--the alternative combinations of two goods that an economy can produce with given resources and technology. A production possibilities curve (PPC) represents the boundary or frontier of the economy's production capabilities, hence it is also frequently termed a production possibilities frontier (PPF). As a frontier, it is the maximum production possible given existing (fixed) resources and technology. Producing on the curve means resources are fully employed, while producing inside the curve means resources are unemployed. The law of increasing opportunity cost is what gives the curve its distinctive convex shape.
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BLACK DISMALAPOD
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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at a flea market seeking to buy either a replacement nozzle for your shower or a decorative windchime with plastic . Be on the lookout for vindictive digital clocks with revenge on their minds.
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Only 1% of the U.S. population paid income taxes when the income tax was established in 1914.
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"He who truly knows has no occasion to shout. " -- Leonardo da Vinci, painter, sculptor, architect, engineer
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AEA
American Economic Association
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