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DIAMOND-WATER PARADOX: The perplexing observation that water, which is more useful than diamonds, has a lower price. If price is related to utility, how can this occur? This paradox was first proposed by classical economists in the 19th century and was subsequently used as a stepping stone for developing the notion of marginal utility and the role it plays in the demand price of a good. The paradox is magically cleared up with an understanding of marginal utility and total utility. People are willing to pay a higher price for goods with greater marginal utility. As such, water which is plentiful has enormous total utility, but a low price because of a low marginal utility. Diamonds, however, have less total utility because they are less plentiful, but a high price because of a high marginal utility.
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ALLOCATION The process of distributing resources for the production of goods and services, and of distributing goods and services for the satisfaction of wants and needs and human consumption. This allocation process is an essential part of an economy's effort to address the problem of scarcity.
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BROWN PRAGMATOX
[What's This?]
Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at a crowded estate auction seeking to buy either a large green chalkboard shaped like the state of Maine or a replacement battery for your pocket calculator. Be on the lookout for deranged pelicans.
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The average length of a "business lunch" is about 36 minutes.
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"Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love." -- Albert Einstein
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SEHK
Stock Exchange of Hong Kong
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