Suppose that you are interested in comparing the costs of producing inpatient care services at XYZ Hospital with those at ABC Hospital. Further suppose that the two hospitals annually admit about 24,000 (XYZ) and 32,000 (ABC) patients at average short-run total costs per admission of roughly $11,000 (ABC) and $12,000 (XYZ). Using short run cost theory, identify four factors that might explain why ABC Hospital has higher average short run costs of production than XYZ Hospital.

Suppose Nittany Bakery rents a building for $120 per day, and they can hire workers for $75 per day. The short run labor and output (quantity of scones) information is listed below. Fill in the columns for total cost and marginal cost. (Note: You may need to make columns for fixed cost (FC) and variable cost (VC) on a piece of scrap paper, which will make it easier to find total cost (TC).) Do not enter any dollar signs, and if necessary, round to two decimal places. Short Run Labor, Output, and Costs Labor (L) Output (Q) Total Cost (TC) Marginal Cost (MC) 00 -- 14 212 3 24 440 5 60 675 7 84

Introduction to Calculus in Economics (continued): In the previous Problem Set question, we started looking at the cost function C (æ), the cost of a firm producing z items. An important microeconomics concept is the marginal cost, defined in (non- mathematical introductory) economics as the cost of producing one additional item. If the current production level is æ items with cost C (z), then the cost of computing h additionial (C(z+h)-C(z)) items is C (z + h). The average cost of those h items is . As we analyze the cost of just the last item produced, this can be made into a mathematical model by taking the limit as h → 0, i.e. the derivative C' (z). Use this function in the model below for the Marginal Cost function MC (x). Problem Set question: The cost, in dollars, of producing z units of a certain item is given by C (z) = 0.02a3 – 10z + 450. (a) Find the marginal cost function. MC (z) (b) Find the marginal cost when 50 units of the item are produced. The marginal cost when 50…

This question deals with cost curves and isoprofit curves. Keep in mind that the formula for a firm's cost function is: TC = FC+ C(O) TC → Total Costs: FC → Fixed Costs: C(Q) → Cost of production*Quantity produced → also known as Variable Costs Q2: Firms A and B are two firms supplying products in two separate differentiated goods markets. Equations (1) and (2) give the total cost functions of the two firms: - Firm A: TC = 2Q --- Equation (1) - Firm B: TC = 10 + 2Q --- Equation (2) Each firm has the ability to produce a maximum quantity of 80,000 units in ten batches of 8,000. The cost of production per unit for each firm is $2. Firm B has a fixed cost of $10. (a) Plot isoprofit curves valuing $34,000 and $60,000 for each of the two firms. Provide an explanation for any differences that may exist (b) Use the information given about firms A and B and appropriate diagrams/figures to explain how the equilibrium for both firms will change if a rival company increases its prices.

Suppose a firm is currently maximizing profit by producing 100 units of output per day. It is then discovered that the firm owes $1,000 for a one-time tax violation that occurred a few years ago. The firm now needs to pay the $1,000 to the government no matter what. How should the firm react to this additional cost? The firm should increase output in order to increase revenue enough to cover the additional cost. The firm should continue to produce 100 units of output per day, as the $1,000 is a sunk cost and therefore has no effect on production decisions. The firm should shut down in the short run and start back up in the long run. The firm should decrease output in order to decrease variable costs by $1,000.

Price ($/slice) For the pizza seller whose marginal, average variable, and average total cost curves are shown in the graph below, what is the profit- maximizing level of output and how much profit will this producer earn if the price of pizza is $2.50 per slice? Instructions: In the graph below, label all three curves by clicking on the dropdown to select the appropriate label. Then, indicate the profit-maximizing level of output on the graph. 3.50 3.25 3.00 2.75 2.50 2.25 2.00 1.75 1.50 1.25 1.00 0.75 0.50 0.25 0 Cost Curves Tools -O Select ▼ Select ▼ Select ▼ Q* 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 Quantity (slices/day)