AP Microeconomics

Advanced Placement Microeconomics analyzing individual economic decision-making.

Advanced Topics

Supply and Demand

How Markets Work

The forces of supply and demand determine prices and quantities in competitive markets. Demand reflects how much consumers are willing to buy at different prices, while supply shows how much producers are willing to sell.

The Law of Demand and Supply

  • Law of Demand: As price falls, quantity demanded rises (and vice versa).
  • Law of Supply: As price rises, quantity supplied increases.

Market Equilibrium

The intersection of supply and demand curves sets the market equilibrium price and quantity. If the price is above equilibrium, there's a surplus; if below, a shortage.

Real Life Examples

  • Ticket prices for a popular concert rise when demand exceeds supply.
  • Farmers grow more strawberries when prices are high, boosting supply.

Formula

  • Demand: \( Q_d = a - bP \)
  • Supply: \( Q_s = c + dP \)

Examples

  • Smartphones become cheaper as more companies enter the market, increasing supply.

  • Holiday toys can sell out quickly if demand is much higher than expected.

In a Nutshell

Markets balance supply and demand to set prices and quantities.

Key Terms

Equilibrium
The point where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied.
Surplus
When quantity supplied is greater than quantity demanded.
Shortage
When quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied.