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Law of Supply and Demand in Economics: How It Works

assumptions of law of supply

The graphical representation of supply schedule is called supply curve. In a graph, price of a product is represented on Y-axis and quantity supplied is represented on X-axis. Supply curve can be of two types, individual supply curve and market supply curve.

Buyers have finite resources so their spending on a given product or commodity is limited as well. Levels of supply and demand for varying prices can be plotted on a graph as curves. The intersection of these curves marks the equilibrium or market-clearing price at which demand equals supply and represents the process of price discovery in the marketplace. A proper balance must be achieved where both parties engage in ongoing business transactions to benefit consumers and producers.

No change in the income:

Each of the points shows the combination of price and quantity supplied. Economists have studied the behaviour of sellers, just as they have studied the behaviour of buyers. As a result of their observations, they have arrived at the law of supply. Law of supply states the direct relationship between price and quantity supplied, keeping other factors constant (ceteris paribus). The slope of market supply curve can be obtained by calculating the supply of the slopes of individual supply curves. Market supply curve also represents the direct relationship between the quantity supplied and price of a product.

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  1. However, the commodities affected by these external factors remain subject to the fundamental forces of supply and demand as long as buyers and sellers retain agency.
  2. However, when suppliers do not earn enough revenue to cover the cost of production of the good, they face a loss.
  3. Supply and demand guide market behavior but do not determine it.
  4. Why such situation because workers normally prefer leisure to work after receiving a certain amount of wage.

The positive slope of the supply curve SS1 establishes the law of supply and shows the positive relationship in between price and assumptions of law of supply quantity supplied. The theory of supply and demand relates not only to physical products such as television sets but also to wages and labor. The rise or fall in supply may take place due to changes in the cost of production of a commodity. If the prices of various factors of production used for a particular commodity increase, then the total cost of production will also increase. When the price .«of goods rises, other things remain the same, the quantity that is offered for sale increases, and as the price falls, the amount available for sale decreases. Refers to the fact that the supply of a product decreases instead of increasing in present when there is an expected increase in the price of the product.

Future Expectations:

However, as the price starts falling, some firms which do not expect to earn any profits at a low price either stop the production or reduce it. It reduces the supply of the given commodity as the number of firms in the market decreases. The law of supply and demand outlines the interaction between a buyer and a seller of a resource. It incorporates both the law of supply and the law of demand. Maximising profits is the primary goal of producers when they supply a good or service.

If goods are inelastic, then a change in price leads to relatively no response in the quantity supplied. In the case of perishable goods, like vegetables, fruits, etc., sellers will be ready to sell more even if the prices are falling. Sometimes, an increase in the wage rate may cause a decrease in the supply of labor because of surplus income of labor. If the sellers think that there is a possibility of future price changes, then this law will not operate.

assumptions of law of supply

It is, therefore, important here to mention that the relationship between price and the quantities that suppliers are prepared to offer for sale is positive. All these assumptions come under the phrase “other things remaining the same“. 3 ) Marginal sellers who do not sell at lower price begin to offer more units of a commodity at higher prices. It is a qualitative statement, as it indicates the direction of change in the quantity supplied, but it does not indicate the magnitude of change. When your employer pays time and a half for overtime, the number of hours you are willing to supply for work might increase.