📚 Learning Guide
Optimal Purchase Combinations
easy

If a consumer has a budget of $50 and prefers to buy two goods, A and B, how can they maximize their satisfaction given that good A costs $10 and good B costs $5?

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Learning Path
Learning Path

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Choose the Best Answer

A

Buy 2 units of A and 4 units of B.

B

Buy 5 units of A and 0 units of B.

C

Buy 1 unit of A and 8 units of B.

D

Buy 0 units of A and 10 units of B.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

With a $50 budget, the consumer can buy at most five units of good A (5 × $10) or ten units of good B (10 × $5). To maximize satisfaction, the consumer should compare the utility each good provides per dollar; if the utility per dollar is the same for both goods, buying the cheaper good B gives twice as many units, so the consumer gets more goods for the same money. If the consumer values each unit of A more than a unit of B, they should buy as many A’s as possible until the budget is exhausted. For example, buying 3 A ($30) and 4 B ($20) uses the full $50 and yields 7 goods, which may be the best mix if A is slightly more valuable per unit.

Detailed Explanation

Buying one A for $10 uses part of the budget and leaves $40 for B, which costs only $5 each. Other options are incorrect because This plan spends only $40, leaving $10 unused, so it wastes money that could buy more B; All $50 is spent on A, giving only five units.

Key Concepts

Utility Maximization
Topic

Optimal Purchase Combinations

Difficulty

easy level question

Cognitive Level

understand

Practice Similar Questions

Test your understanding with related questions

1
Question 1

A consumer has a budget of $100 and is considering two products: Product X, which provides 20 units of utility for $20, and Product Y, which provides 30 units of utility for $30. If the consumer wants to maximize their utility while accounting for opportunity cost, which product should they choose to purchase if they can only choose one?

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2
Question 2

A consumer evaluates two items: Item A offers 50 units of satisfaction for $10, while Item B provides 80 units for $20. If the consumer has a budget of $30 and considers the opportunity cost, which item will yield the highest marginal utility per dollar spent?

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3
Question 3

In a scenario where a consumer faces a budget constraint of $60 to spend on goods X and Y, with good X priced at $12 and good Y at $4, how would an increase in the price of good X to $15 affect the consumer's optimal consumption choices, assuming their preferences are represented by indifference curves?

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4
Question 4

If a consumer has a budget of $40 to spend on goods C and D, where good C is priced at $8 and good D at $4, which combination of goods would best optimize their utility?

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5
Question 5

Consider a consumer with a monthly budget of $80 who wants to purchase two goods, X and Y. If good X costs $16 and good Y costs $8, which combination of these goods would yield the highest level of satisfaction while adhering to the budget constraint?

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6
Question 6

If a consumer has a budget of $7, how should they allocate their spending between apples and oranges to maximize their satisfaction?

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