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If demand is unitary elastic, the quantity falls by exactly the percentage that the price rises. Two important special cases are perfectly elastic demand (= ∞), where even a small rise in price reduces the quantity demanded to zero; and perfectly inelastic demand (= 0), where a rise in price leaves the quantity unchanged.
Perfectly inelastic demand is represented by a vertical demand curve. Under perfect price inelasticity of demand, the price has no effect on the quantity demanded. The demand for the good remains the same regardless of how low or high the price. Goods with (nearly) perfectly inelastic demand are typically goods with no substitutes.
If price elasticity of demand is calculated to be less than 1, the good is said to be inelastic. An inelastic good will respond less than proportionally to a change in price; for example, a price increase of 40% that results in a decrease in demand of 10%. Goods that are inelastic often have at least one of the following characteristics:
When the demand curve is perfectly inelastic (vertical demand curve), all taxes are borne by the consumer. When the demand curve is perfectly elastic (horizontal demand curve), all taxes are borne by the supplier. If the demand curve is more elastic, the supplier bears a larger share of the cost increase or tax. [16]
On the other hand, a competitive firm by definition faces a perfectly elastic demand; hence it has = which means that it sets the quantity such that marginal cost equals the price. The rule also implies that, absent menu costs , a firm with market power will never choose a point on the inelastic portion of its demand curve (where ϵ ≥ − 1 ...
In economics, the total revenue test is a means for determining whether demand is elastic or inelastic. If an increase in price causes an increase in total revenue, then demand can be said to be inelastic, since the increase in price does not have a large impact on quantity demanded. If an increase in price causes a decrease in total revenue ...
A positive income elasticity of demand is associated with normal goods; an increase in income will lead to a rise in quantity demanded. If income elasticity of demand of a commodity is less than 1, it is a necessity good. If the elasticity of demand is greater than 1, it is a luxury good or a superior good.
The deadweight loss would be zero when either demand or supply is perfectly inelastic. The third graph in the page you mentioned is what happens when demand is inelastic. The white triangle of deadweight loss is small, and if the demand were completely inelastic (i.e. a vertical line,) it would be nonexistent.