A manufacturing firm has budgeted 40 thousand per month for labor and materials. If $x thousand is spent on lab and $y thousand is spent on materials, and if the monthly output (in units) is given by N(x, y) = 2xy-6y How should the 40 thousand be allocated to labor and materials to maximize N : x+y = 40. What is maximum N?

A firm estimates its production function as Q = -2.4 + 20*L -.5*L2 + 30*K -1.00*K2 + 15*F -.3*F2. Total cost is TC = $2*L + $2.5*K + $1.75*F.  The firm wishes to produce 400 units of output.  Use Excel to find the cost minimizing amounts of L, K and F. How much F (Fuel) should the firm use?

Suppose you run a factory whose short-run production function is given by f (L) = 180L² – 3L³. (a) Find mathematical expressions for the total product of labor, the average product of labor and the marginal product of labor. (b) On two separate axes, graph TPL, APL, and M PL. The diagrams do not need to be scale, but be sure they are internally consistent. In other words, make sure that all relevant relationships between the three lines are correct. If you have trouble figuring out what the graph looks like, feel free to use a graphing calculator or an online graphing tool to find the basic shape. Find the quantity of labor associated with each of the following points and label it on your diagram: (i) the maximum value of TPL, (ii) the maximum value of APL, (iii) the maximum value of MPL. (c) For what values of L does the production function exhibit each of the following: i. increasing marginal labor productivity ii. diminishing marginal labor productivity iii. negative marginal labor…

A firm produces plastic bins using labor (measured in man-hours) and capital (measured in machine-hours), according to the production function Q = f(L,K) = LK, where Q is the number of plastic bins produced. Suppose that the cost of labor is $20 per worker-hour and the cost of capital is $10 per machine-hour. What is the cost minimizing input combination if the firm wants to produce 28,800 plastic bins? Hint: The marginal products are MP, = K and MPg = L.