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ECON 105

How far does one purchase go?

Follow spending through the economy to understand consumption, inventories and equilibrium GDP. Move the diagrams, then practise with ten worked Solve questions.

Income, spending and saving · Step 1 of 12

How much of extra income gets spent?

Disposable incomeConsumption
$800$600
$1,000$720
Same economy and consumption rule at both incomes
Cedar Island is our fictional economy. We use real dollars, fixed prices, and no taxes, government purchases or trade, so disposable income YD equals real GDP. The marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is the share of extra disposable income spent on consumption.
Try it: Move MPC and compare consumption at the two income levels.
MPC (decimal share of extra income)0.60
Extra income
$200
Extra spending
$120
MPC
0.60
ΔYD = (1,000 − 800) = 200.
ΔC = (720 − 600) = 120.
MPC = ΔC ÷ ΔYD = (720 − 600) ÷ (1,000 − 800) = 0.60.
Check yourself
MPC equals the change in consumption divided by which quantity?

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