When a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded this is?

Elasticity of demand is an important variation on the concept of demand. Demand can be classified as elastic, inelastic or unitary.

An elastic demand is one in which the change in quantity demanded due to a change in price is large. An inelastic demand is one in which the change in quantity demanded due to a change in price is small.
The formula for computing elasticity of demand is:

(Q1 – Q2) / (Q1 + Q2)     
(P1 – P2) / (P1 + P2)

If the formula creates an absolute value greater than 1, the demand is elastic. In other words, quantity changes faster than price. If the value is less than 1, demand is inelastic. In other words, quantity changes slower than price. If the number is equal to 1, elasticity of demand is unitary. In other words, quantity changes at the same rate as price.

Elastic Demand

Elasticity of demand is illustrated in Figure 1. Note that a change in price results in a large change in quantity demanded. An example of products with an elastic demand is consumer durables. These are items that are purchased infrequently, like a washing machine or an automobile, and can be postponed if price rises. For example, automobile rebates have been very successful in increasing automobile sales by reducing price.

Close substitutes for a product affect the elasticity of demand. If another product can easily be substituted for your product, consumers will quickly switch to the other product if the price of your product rises or the price of the other product declines. For example, beef, pork and poultry are all meat products. The declining price of poultry in recent years has caused the consumption of poultry to increase, at the expense of beef and pork. So products with close substitutes tend to have elastic demand.

When a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded this is?

An example of computing elasticity of demand using the formula is shown in Example 1. When the price decreases from $10 per unit to $8 per unit, the quantity sold increases from 30 units to 50 units. The elasticity coefficient is 2.25.

When a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded this is?

Inelastic Demand

Inelastic demand is shown in Figure 2. Note that a change in price results in only a small change in quantity demanded. In other words, the quantity demanded is not very responsive to changes in price. Examples of this are necessities like food and fuel. Consumers will not reduce their food purchases if food prices rise, although there may be shifts in the types of food they purchase. Also, consumers will not greatly change their driving behavior if gasoline prices rise.

When a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded this is?

An example of computing inelasticity of demand using the formula above is shown in Example 2. When the price decreases from $12 to $6 (50%), the quantity of demand increases from 40 to only 50 (25%). The elasticity coefficient is .33.

When a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded this is?

This does not mean that the demand for an individual producer is inelastic. For example, a rise in the price of gasoline at all stations may not reduce gasoline sales significantly. However, a rise of an individual station’s price will significantly affect that station’s sales.

Unitary Elasticity

If the elasticity coefficient is equal to one, demand is unitarily elastic as shown in Figure 3. For example, a 10% quantity change divided by a 10% price change is one. This means that a 1% change in quantity occurs for every 1% change in price.

When a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded this is?

Don Hofstrand, retired extension value added agriculture specialist,

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Have you ever wanted to buy more of something just because its price dropped? Let's say you've been buying an apple a day for $2 for the past month. News came in that the price of an apple has been reduced to $1. Suddenly, you start buying $3 worth of apples a day. What happened? Well, it means your demand for apples is price elastic. The total expenditures test is concerned with checking just how price elastic your demand for apples is. Read on for a total expenditure Test definition, the formula, and more!

Elasticity of Demand Total Expenditure Test

The total expenditures test is used to determine the elasticity of demand for a particular product. In other words, it checks the price elasticity of demand of a given product.

The total expenditures test is used to determine how elastic the demand for a particular product is.

Wait, let's not move too fast here. What is the price elasticity of demand in the first place? When there is a change in price of a product, consumers often react by changing their quantity demanded of that product. In other words, when the price of a product changes, consumers respond by changing how much of that product they're willing and able to buy at any point.

However, it is important to note that consumers will react differently to the price changes of different products. For instance, they may buy more apples when the price of apples goes down, but they may not change the number of painkillers they buy even if the price of painkillers goes down. Price elasticity of demand, therefore, refers to how much quantity demanded changes as a result of a change in price.

Price elasticity of demand refers to how much quantity demanded changes as a result of a change in price.

Just remember price change and quantity demanded change.

Demand can be elastic, inelastic, or unit elastic. Let's look at what these three mean.

Demand can be elastic, inelastic, or unit elastic.

Elastic demand and the total expenditures test

Elastic demand describes a situation where a change in price results in a relatively larger change in quantity demanded.

Demand is elastic when a change in price causes a relatively larger change in quantity demanded.

Figure 1. Elastic Demand, StudySmarter Originals

Figure 1 above shows elastic demand. Looking at Figure 1, you can see that the distance from P1 to P2 (change in price) is smaller when compared to the distance between Q1 and Q2 (change in quantity demanded). This shows the concept of elastic demand. The small change from P1 to P2 resulted in a larger change from Q1 to Q2.

Inelastic demand and the total expenditures test

For inelastic demand, a change in price results in a relatively smaller change in quantity demanded.

Demand is inelastic when a change in price causes a relatively smaller change in quantity demanded.

Figure 2. Inelastic Demand, StudySmarter Originals

Figure 2 above shows inelastic demand. Looking at Figure 2, you can see that the change in price shown by the distance from P1 to P2 is larger when compared to the change in quantity demanded or distance between Q1 and Q2. From this, we can conclude that a change in price caused a smaller change in quantity demanded, therefore, this is inelastic demand.

Unit elastic demand and the total expenditures test

In some cases, a change in price results in an equally proportional change in quantity demanded, and this is referred to as unit elastic demand.

Demand is unit elastic when a change in price causes a proportional change in quantity demanded.

Figure 3. Unit Elastic Demand, StudySmarter Originals

Look at Figure 3 for an illustration of unit elastic demand. Figure 3 shows that the change in price or the distance from P1 to P2 is proportional to the change in quantity demanded or the distance between Q1 and Q2. This shows unit elastic demand.

Note that the comparison is not about the number, but the proportional size of the change. So, if price changes from 1 to 2 (change of 100%) and quantity demanded changes from 2 to 4 (change of 100%), these two changes are the same proportional size.

Total Expenditures Test Definition

What is the definition of the total expenditures test? The total expenditures test determines the demand elasticity of a given product. Economists look at how much the total expenditure has changed when price changes, and this informs us about the demand elasticity of the product we are looking at.

The total expenditures test is a test to determine the demand elasticity of a given product.

Total Expenditure Test: Total expenditure formula

Total expenditure is calculated by multiplying the price by the quantity demanded. Economists use the following formula:

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure}=\hbox{Price (P)}\times\hbox{Quantity Demanded (Q)}\)

Total expenditure can also be referred to as what consumers spend on a product at a given price. Let's look at a simple example.

An apple sells for $2 a piece, and Kent buys 3 apples. What is Kent's total expenditure?

The price is $2 and the quantity demanded is 3:

P=2 and Q=3

Using the formula:

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure}=\hbox{Price (P)}\times\hbox{Quantity Demanded (Q)}\)

We have:

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure}=2\$\times3=6\$\)

Therefore, Kent's total expenditure is $6

Explain the Purpose of the Total Expenditures Test

The purpose of the total expenditures test helps economists determine the price elasticity of demand for a product. We do this by looking at the effect of a price change on the total expenditure. In other words, how did the total expenditure change when the price changed?

The total expenditures test helps economists determine the price elasticity of demand for a product.

So, how exactly can one use the total expenditures test to determine the demand elasticity of a product? Follow three simple rules!

  • The first rule is that if the total expenditure reduces when the price increases, the demand for a good is price elastic.

    In contrast, if the total expenditure increases when the price decreases, the demand for a good is price elastic. In other words, if they go opposite ways, the demand for a good is price elastic.

  • The second rule is that if the total expenditure reduces when the price decreases, the demand for a good is price inelastic.

    In contrast, if the total expenditure increases when the price increases, the demand for a good is price inelastic. In other words, if they go the same way, the demand for a good is price inelastic.

  • The third rule is that if the total expenditure does not change when the price changes, the demand for a good is unit elastic.

Let's try our hand on an example now.

When an apple sells for $2 a piece, Kent buys 3 apples. But when the price of apples reduces from $2 to $1, Kent buys 9 apples. What is Kent's demand elasticity for apples?

First, note that we're dealing with a reduction in price. Keep this in mind, we'll come back to it soon.

Second, calculate the total expenditure when the price of an apple was $2:

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure 1}=2\$\times3=6\$\)

Third, calculate the total expenditure after the price of an apple reduced to $1:

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure 2}=1\$\times9=9\$\)

Fourth, observe the change in total expenditure from Total Expenditure 1 to Total Expenditure 2.

In this case, the total expenditure increased from $6 to $9.

Now, compare the changes in total expenditure and price. Since we noted that there was a reduction in price, and we have found that total expenditure has increased, we can conclude that Kent's demand elasticity for apples is price elastic, based on the first rule.

Total Expenditure Example

Now, let's try another example where we find the total expenditure and the elasticity of demand.

When tap water sells for $5 a liter, and Kent buys 5 liters. When the price of tap water reduces from $5 to $3, Kent buys 6 liters. What is Kent's demand elasticity for tap water?

First, we note that we're dealing with areduction in price.

Second, we calculate the total expenditure when the price of tap water was $5.

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure 1}=5\$\times5=25\$\)

Third, we calculate the total expenditure after the price of tap water reduced to $3.

\(\hbox{Total Expenditure 2}=3\$\times6=18\$\)

Fourth, we observe the change in total expenditure from Total Expenditure 1 to Total Expenditure 2. In this case, the total expenditure reducedfrom $25 to $18.

Now, when we compare the changes in total expenditure and price, we can see that they both decreased. This means that Kent's demand elasticity for tap water is price inelastic, based on the second rule.

Great! You finished this topic. You should read our article on the Elasticity of Demand, it goes deeper into how demand elasticity works!

Total Expenditures Test - Key takeaways

  • The total expenditures test is used to determine how elastic the demand for a particular product is.
  • Price elasticity of demand refers to how much quantity demanded changes as a result of a change in price of a good.
  • If the total expenditure reduces when the price increases, the demand for a good is price elastic. In contrast, if the total expenditure increases when the price decreases, the demand for a good is price elastic. In other words, if they go opposite ways, the demand for a good is price elastic.
  • If the total expenditure reduces when the price decreases, the demand for a good is price inelastic. In contrast, if the total expenditure increases when the price increases, the demand for a good is price inelastic. In other words, if they go the same way, the demand for a good is price inelastic.
  • If the total expenditure does not change when the price changes, the demand for a good is unit elastic.

When a change in price of a product results in a larger change in quantity demanded the demand for the product is classified as?

An elastic demand is one in which the change in quantity demanded due to a change in price is large.

When the quantity demanded changes by larger smaller than does price elasticity is termed as?

perfectly inelastic Was this answer helpful?

What happens to quantity demanded with a change in price?

If the price goes up, the quantity demanded goes down (but demand itself stays the same). If the price decreases, quantity demanded increases. This is the Law of Demand. On a graph, an inverse relationship is represented by a downward sloping line from left to right.

When product demand is relatively price inelastic a large change in price causes _____ change in the quantity demanded?

An inelastic demand or supply curve is one where a given percentage change in price will cause a smaller percentage change in quantity demanded or supplied.