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THE ECONOMIC PROBLEM: Another term for scarcity, which is the pervasive condition of human existence that exists because society has unlimited wants and needs, but limited resources used for their satisfaction. In other words, while we all want a bunch of stuff, we can't have everything that we want (see free lunch). In slightly different words, this scarcity problem means: (1) that there's never enough resources to produce everything that everyone would like produced; (2) that some people will have to do without some of the stuff that they want or need; (3) that doing one thing, producing one good, performing one activity, forces society to give up something else; and (4) that the same resources can not be used to produce two different goods at the same time. We live in a big, bad world of scarcity. This big, bad world of scarcity is what the study of economics is all about. That's why we usually subtitle scarcity: THE ECONOMIC PROBLEM.
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                           ELASTIC SUPPLY: The general supply relation in which relatively small changes in price cause relatively large changes in quantity supplied. Small changes in price cause relatively large changes in quantity supplied or the percentage change in quantity supplied is larger than the percentage change in price. This characterization of elasticity is most important for the price elasticity of supply. Elastic supply is one of two general elasticity relations for supply. The other is inelastic supply. An elastic supply relation is a very responsive, or stretchable, relation. The elastic relation is most often directed toward supply in terms of the price elasticity of supply. In this context, supply is said to be elastic if the percentage change in quantity is larger than the percentage change in price. This means that sellers are responsive to price changes.An elastic supply relation can fall into one of two categories--perfectly elastic and relatively elastic. - Perfectly Elastic: Perfectly elastic means an infinitesimally small change in price results in an infinitely large change in quantity supplied. This elasticity alternative exists when the price is fixed, that is, an infinite range of quantities is associated with the same price. This is the extreme, limiting case of elastic. Perfectly elastic supply can occur, in theory, when producers are able to switch resources among a large number of perfect substitutes-in-production.
- Relatively Elastic: Relatively elastic means that relatively small changes in price cause relatively large changes in quantity. Quantity is very responsive to price, but not infinitely so. The percentage change in quantity supplied is greater than the percentage change in price. Relatively elastic supply occurs when producers are able to switch resources among a large number of close but not perfect substitutes-in-production.
Recommended Citation:ELASTIC SUPPLY, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2026. [Accessed: January 14, 2026].
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The earliest known use of paper currency was about 1270 in China during the rule of Kubla Khan.
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"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals." -- Sir Edmund Hillary, Explorer
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FDI
Foreign Direct Investment
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