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There are three principal cost functions (or 'curves') used in microeconomic analysis: Long-run total cost (LRTC) is the cost function that represents the total cost of production for all goods produced. Long-run average cost (LRAC) is the cost function that represents the average cost per unit of producing some good.
[3]: 208 When long-run marginal cost is below long-run average cost, long-run average cost is falling (as additional units of output are considered). [3]: 207 When long-run marginal cost is above long run average cost, average cost is rising. Long-run marginal cost equals short run marginal-cost at the least-long-run-average-cost level of ...
A long-run average cost curve is typically downward sloping at relatively low levels of output, and upward or downward sloping at relatively high levels of output. Most commonly, the long-run average cost curve is U-shaped, by definition reflecting economies of scale where negatively sloped and diseconomies of scale where positively sloped.
Each of these factors reduces the long run average costs (LRAC) of production by shifting the short-run average total cost (SRATC) curve down and to the right. Economies of scale is a concept that may explain patterns in international trade or in the number of firms in a given market.
Economists tend to analyse three costs in the short-run: average fixed costs, average variable costs, and average total costs, with respect to marginal costs. The average fixed cost curve is a decreasing function because the level of fixed costs remains constant as the output produced increases.
Assuming that the factor costs are constant (that is, that the firm is a perfect competitor in all input markets) and the production function is homothetic, a firm experiencing constant returns will have constant long-run average costs, a firm experiencing decreasing returns will have increasing long-run average costs, and a firm experiencing ...
2003 Patrick with his mother at an Easter dinner. Patrick was recuperating from surgery for a knee injury suffered during his sophomore wrestling season. * * * *
The long run total cost for a given output will generally be lower than the short run total cost, because the amount of capital can be chosen to be optimal for the amount of output. Other economic models use the total variable cost curve (and therefore total cost curve) to illustrate the concepts of increasing, and later diminishing, marginal ...