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VARIABLE INPUT: An input whose quantity can be changed in the time period under consideration. This should be immediately compared and contrasted with fixed input. The most common example of a variable input is labor. A variable input provides the extra inputs that a firm needs to expand short-run production. In contrast, a fixed input, like capital, provides the capacity constraint in production. As larger quantities of a variable input, like labor, are added to a fixed input like capital, the variable input becomes less productive. This is, by the way, the law of diminishing marginal returns.
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BARTER EXCHANGE: A method of trading goods, commodities, or services, directly for one another without the use of money. In a barter exchange one good is traded directly for another. This sort of exchange ultimately requires a double coincidence of wants, meaning that each trader has what the other trader wants and wants what the other has. Without a double coincidence of wants the exchange process can become exceedingly complex, requiring a great deal of resources to complete transactions, resources that can not be used for production. In fact, inefficient barter trading was the primary reason that money was invented. With money, more resources can be used for production and fewer are needed for trading. See market. See also | good | service | money | exchange | double coincidence of wants | resources | production | market |  Recommended Citation:BARTER EXCHANGE, AmosWEB GLOSS*arama, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2025. [Accessed: April 23, 2025].
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AVERAGE TOTAL COST Total cost per unit of output, found by dividing total cost by the quantity of output. When compared with price (per unit revenue), average total cost (ATC) indicates the per unit profitability of a profit-maximizing firm. Average total cost is one of three average cost concepts important to short-run production analysis. The other two are average fixed cost and average variable cost. A related concept is marginal cost.
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PINK FADFLY [What's This?]
Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time browsing about a thrift store seeking to buy either a replacement remote control for your stereo system or a computer that can play video games and burn DVDs. Be on the lookout for fairy dust that tastes like salt. Your Complete Scope
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One of the largest markets for gold in the United States is the manufacturing of class rings.
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"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. " -- Hugh White, U.S. Senator
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BEA Bureau of Economic Analisys
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