What is scarcity?

Factors of production

Capital: the most common AP mistake

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How scarcity creates trade-offs

2040608010020406080100Consumer GoodsCapital GoodsA (Inefficient)B (Efficient)C (Unattainable)PPC

The PPC shows all efficient output combinations given scarce resources

Reading the PPC

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Opportunity cost on the PPC

Worked example

2040608010020406080100Consumer GoodsCapital GoodsXYPPC

Moving from X to Y: gaining 45 consumer goods costs 38 capital goods

Why the PPC bows outward

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Marginal analysis

246810121424681012QuantityDollars ($)Optimal (MB = MC)MBMC

The optimal quantity is where the MB and MC curves intersect

Reading the MB/MC graph

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Applying marginal analysis

The three fundamental questions

Economic systems

How the price mechanism works

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Scarcity vs. shortage

Free goods vs. economic goods

AP exam tips for 1.1

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Common mistakes

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Key equations

Vocabulary