Given that quantity demanded per period of time is a function of price and that the relation is expressed as: Q = 60 - 1/3 P, where Q is quantity demanded a...

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - Economics - 1989 (Essay) Subject: Economics

Question 1 Report

Given that quantity demanded per period of time is a function of price and that the relation is expressed as: Q = 60 - 1/3 P, where Q is quantity demanded and P is the price,
(a) Find the quantity demanded when price is :
(i) N30.00;
(ii) N210.00;
(iii) NO.00.

(b) comment on (a) (ii) above.

(c) suppose the relation is now expressed as P = N (180 - 3Q); find P when:
(i) Q = 0;
(ii) Q = 60;
(iii) Q = 59.
 

Answer Details

The demand relation is \( Q = 60 - \tfrac{1}{3}P \). Substitute each price to find the quantity demanded.

(a)(i) When \( P = 30 \): \( Q = 60 - \tfrac{1}{3}(30) = 60 - 10 = 50 \) units.

(a)(ii) When \( P = 210 \): \( Q = 60 - \tfrac{1}{3}(210) = 60 - 70 = -10 \) units.

(a)(iii) When \( P = 0 \): \( Q = 60 - \tfrac{1}{3}(0) = 60 \) units.

(b) Comment on (a)(ii): A quantity of \( -10 \) is economically meaningless because quantity demanded cannot be negative. It shows that at a price of N210 the price is so high that no quantity is demanded; the demand curve has effectively reached zero before this price. In practice quantity demanded stops at zero, so we take demand as \( 0 \), not \( -10 \).

(c) Now \( P = 180 - 3Q \).

(i) When \( Q = 0 \): \( P = 180 - 3(0) = N180 \).

(ii) When \( Q = 60 \): \( P = 180 - 3(60) = 180 - 180 = N0 \).

(iii) When \( Q = 59 \): \( P = 180 - 3(59) = 180 - 177 = N3 \).

Notice that (c) is simply the first relation rearranged to make \( P \) the subject, so the price and quantity pairs are consistent: high quantity goes with low price and vice versa, confirming the law of demand.

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