2.8

Producer Surplus

AP Microeconomics

What is producer surplus?

Producer Surplus123456789101112123456789101112QuantityPrice ($)SupplyPrice = $6

Producer surplus = shaded area above supply and below price

Why the supply curve represents minimum acceptable price

Calculating producer surplus

Worked example

Individual producer surplus

How price changes affect PS

Price increases → PS increases

Price decreases → PS decreases

PS at P=$4Gain in PS when P rises to $6123456789101112123456789101112QuantityPrice ($)SupplyP₁ = $4P₂ = $6

Price increase from $4 to $6 increases producer surplus

CS and PS together

CSPS123456789101112123456789101112QuantityPrice ($)EquilibriumDemandSupply

At equilibrium: CS is above price and below demand; PS is below price and above supply

AP exam tips for 2.8

Common mistakes

Key equations

Vocabulary