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A graph of indifference curves for several utility levels of an individual consumer is called an indifference map. Points yielding different utility levels are each associated with distinct indifference curves and these indifference curves on the indifference map are like contour lines on a topographical graph.
Whether indifference curves are primitive or derivable from utility functions; and; Whether indifference curves are convex. Assumptions are also made of a more technical nature, e.g. non-reversibility, saturation, etc. The pursuit of rigour is not always conducive to intelligibility. In this article indifference curves will be treated as primitive.
The indifference curves are L-shaped and their corners are determined by the weights. E.g., for the function min ( x 1 / 2 , x 2 / 3 ) {\displaystyle \min(x_{1}/2,x_{2}/3)} , the corners of the indifferent curves are at ( 2 t , 3 t ) {\displaystyle (2t,3t)} where t ∈ [ 0 , ∞ ) {\displaystyle t\in [0,\infty )} .
Under the standard assumption of neoclassical economics that goods and services are continuously divisible, the marginal rates of substitution will be the same regardless of the direction of exchange, and will correspond to the slope of an indifference curve (more precisely, to the slope multiplied by −1) passing through the consumption bundle in question, at that point: mathematically, it ...
This ensures that the slopes of the indifference curves and the production set are the same. As a result, Crusoe ends up consuming at the same point he would have if he made all the above decisions together. In other words, using the market system has the same outcome as choosing the individual utility maximisation and cost minimisation plans. [1]
The indifference curves are straight lines (when there are two goods) or hyperplanes (when there are more goods). Each demand curve (demand as a function of price) is a step function : the consumer wants to buy zero units of a good whose utility/price ratio is below the maximum, and wants to buy as many units as possible of a good whose utility ...
Demand curves can be used either for the price-quantity relationship for an individual consumer (an individual demand curve), or for all consumers in a particular market (a market demand curve). It is generally assumed that demand curves slope down, as shown in the adjacent image.
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 idea is that a consumer will buy a unique ideal amount of each item to minimize the price for obtaining a certain level of utility given the price of goods in the market .