Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Economics

Chapter

Micro Economics: Production and Costs

Question:
Consider a production function q = f (x1, x2) where the firm produces q amount of output using x1 amount of factor 1 and x2 amount of factor 2.
Suppose the firm decides to increase the employment level of both the factors 't' times.
Then production function exhibits decreasing returns to scale if,
Options:
f (tx1, tx2) = t.f (x1, x2)
f (tx1, tx2) > t.f (x1, x2)
f (tx1, tx2) < t.f (x1, x2)
none
Correct Answer:
f (tx1, tx2) < t.f (x1, x2)
Explanation:
We are given the production function q=f(x1,x2). When both the factors x1 and x2 are increased t times, the new amount of inputs used is tx1 and tx2 which when put in the production function should look like this: q=f(tx1, tx2). This function should give us the output as q= t.f(x1, x2). Which means f(tx1, tx2)= t.f(x1,x2). But this will happen only when CRS is operative because in CRS when input is increased by t times, the output is also increased by 't' times. But in the given question, DRS is operative, which means that by increasing factors by t times, final output will be less than t times. So the answer should be f(tx1, tx2)> t.f(x1,x2).