Economics 102 - Production and Cost - Cost Curves

Cost Curves

Data Table Overview

The table provides daily production and cost data for a firm, including:

• Quantity of Output
• Fixed Cost (FC)
• Variable Cost (VC)
• Total Cost (TC)
• Average Fixed Cost (AFC)
• Average Variable Cost (AVC)
• Average Total Cost (ATC)
• Marginal Cost (MC)

Definitions

• Fixed Cost (FC): Cost of all fixed inputs (e.g., factory, machines). This cost remains constant regardless of the output level.

• Variable Cost (VC): Cost of all variable inputs (e.g., workers, materials). This cost changes with the level of output.

• Total Cost (TC): The sum of fixed cost and variable cost. TC = FC + VC

• Average Fixed Cost (AFC): Fixed cost divided by the quantity of output. AFC = \frac{FC}{Output}

• Average Variable Cost (AVC): Variable cost divided by the quantity of output. AVC = \frac{VC}{Output}

• Average Total Cost (ATC): Total cost divided by the quantity of output. ATC = \frac{TC}{Output}. Also, ATC = AFC + AVC

• Marginal Cost (MC): Change in total cost resulting from producing one additional unit of output. MC = \frac{\Delta TC}{\Delta Output}, where \Delta represents “change in.” Marginal Cost shows the cost of producing a specific unit of output

  • Example: The cost of producing output unit number 3 is $2.00, and unit number 6 is $14.00.

Key Relationships and Principles

• Production Process:

  • Firms combine fixed inputs (factory, machines) with variable inputs (workers, materials) to produce output.
  • As more variable inputs are added, variable cost increases.

• Marginal Cost Behavior:

  • At lower output levels, marginal cost falls due to rising productivity.
  • At higher output levels, marginal cost eventually rises due to the Law of Diminishing Returns.

• Law of Diminishing Returns: As more and more of a variable input is added to a fixed input, the marginal product of the variable input will eventually decrease.

• Marginal Cost and Average Total Cost:

  • As marginal cost rises (due to diminishing returns), average total cost also starts to rise.
  • Average total cost represents the firm's