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Cost function. In economics, the cost curve, expressing production costs in terms of the amount produced. In mathematical optimization, ...
An objective function is either a loss function or its opposite (in specific domains, variously called a reward function, a profit function, a utility function, a fitness function, etc.), in which case it is to be maximized. The loss function could include terms from several levels of the hierarchy.
In economics, a cost curve is a graph of the costs of production as a function of total quantity produced. In a free market economy, productively efficient firms optimize their production process by minimizing cost consistent with each possible level of production, and the result is a cost curve.
In economics, a cost function represents the minimum cost of producing a quantity of some good. The long-run cost curve is a cost function that models this minimum cost over time, meaning inputs are not fixed. Using the long-run cost curve, firms can scale their means of production to reduce the costs of producing the good. [1]
The function f is variously called an objective function, criterion function, loss function, cost function (minimization), [8] utility function or fitness function (maximization), or, in certain fields, an energy function or energy functional. A feasible solution that minimizes (or maximizes) the objective function is called an optimal solution.
Shephard's lemma is a major result in microeconomics having applications in the theory of the firm and in consumer choice. [1] The lemma states that if indifference curves of the expenditure or cost function are convex, then the cost minimizing point of a given good with price is unique.
The marginal cost can also be calculated by finding the derivative of total cost or variable cost. Either of these derivatives work because the total cost includes variable cost and fixed cost, but fixed cost is a constant with a derivative of 0. The total cost of producing a specific level of output is the cost of all the factors of production.
In economics, average cost (AC) or unit cost is equal to total cost (TC) divided by the number of units of a good produced (the output Q): A C = T C Q . {\displaystyle AC={\frac {TC}{Q}}.} Average cost is an important factor in determining how businesses will choose to price their products.