Google
Monday 
June 15, 2026 

AmosWEB means Economics with a Touch of Whimsy!

AmosWEBWEB*pediaGLOSS*aramaECON*worldCLASS*portalQUIZ*tasticPED GuideXtra CrediteTutorA*PLS
ABSTRACTION METHODS: Abstraction is the process of simplifying the complexities of the real world by ignoring (hopefully) unimportant details, especially (for our purposes) while doing economic analysis. Three common methods of actual, real world abstraction used in economic theories are words, graphs, and equations. Words can be misunderstood. Graphs are a little more precise. And equations tend to be the most precise of the three.

Visit the GLOSS*arama

Most Viewed (Number) Visit the WEB*pedia

Lesson 9: Macro Basics | Unit 3: Business Cycles Page: 8 of 16

Topic: Instability <=PAGE BACK | PAGE NEXT=>

The macroeconomy is unstable. It has periods of falling production, rising inflation, and/or high unemployment.

Business cycles are recurring expansions and contractions of the aggregate economy.

  • Expansion is a general period of increasing economic activity, or rising production, which is associated with low or falling unemployment and high or rising inflation.
  • Contraction is a general period of decreasing economic activity, or falling production, which is associated with high or rising unemployment and low or falling inflation.
Counter-cyclical policies to stabilize the business cycle:
  • During an expansion, try to cause a contraction.
  • During a contraction, try to cause an expansion.

Course Home | Lesson Menu | Page Back | Page Next

MARGINAL UTILITY CURVE

A curve illustrating the relation between the marginal utility obtained from consuming an additional unit of good and the quantity of the good consumed. The negative slope of the marginal utility curve reflects the law of diminishing marginal utility. The marginal utility curve also can be used to derived the demand curve.

Complete Entry | Visit the WEB*pedia


APLS

PINK FADFLY
[What's This?]

Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time wandering around the shopping mall wanting to buy either any book written by Isaac Asimov or a how-to book on building remote controlled airplanes. Be on the lookout for fairy dust that tastes like salt.
Your Complete Scope

This isn't me! What am I?

A communal society, a prime component of Karl Marx's communist philosophy, was advocated by the Greek philosophy Plato.
"Intense concentration hour after hour can bring out resources in people they didn't know they had. "

-- Edwin Land, inventor, entrepreneur

VC
Variable Cost
A PEDestrian's Guide
Xtra Credit
Tell us what you think about AmosWEB. Like what you see? Have suggestions for improvements? Let us know. Click the User Feedback link.

User Feedback



| AmosWEB | WEB*pedia | GLOSS*arama | ECON*world | CLASS*portal | QUIZ*tastic | PED Guide | Xtra Credit | eTutor | A*PLS |
| About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement |

Thanks for visiting AmosWEB
Copyright ©2000-2026 AmosWEB*LLC
Send comments or questions to: WebMaster