Study the following production function (output in units):
| Labour (L) / Capital (K) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 24 | 29 | 33 |
| 3 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 30 | 40 | 46 | 50 |
| 4 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 40 | 50 | 56 | 57 |
| 5 | 0 | 12 | 29 | 46 | 56 | 58 | 59 |
| 6 | 0 | 13 | 33 | 50 | 57 | 59 | 60 |
Which pair of input combinations lies on the same isoquant?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (L = 4, K = 1) and (L = 1, K = 4)
An isoquant joins all input combinations that give the same maximum output. So read the output of each combination from the table.
Option (1) (L = 6, K = 3) and (L = 5, K = 4) — Incorrect. Outputs are 50 and 56.
Option (2) (L = 2, K = 2) and (L = 3, K = 3) — Incorrect. Outputs are 10 and 30.
Option (3) (L = 4, K = 1) and (L = 1, K = 4) — Correct. Both give 10 units, so they lie on the same isoquant.
Option (4) (L = 3, K = 2) and (L = 2, K = 4) — Incorrect. Outputs are 18 and 24.
NCERT (2026-27): “Isoquant In Chapter 2, we have learnt about indifference curves. Here, we introduce a similar concept known as isoquant. It is just an alternative way of representing the production function. Consider a production function with two inputs labour and capital. An isoquant is the set of all possible combinations of the two inputs that yield the same maximum possible level of output. Each isoquant represents a particular level of output and is labelled with that amount of output. …” “Isoquant … Let us return to table 3.1 notice that the output of 10 units can be produced in 3 ways (4L, 1K), (2L, 2K), (1L, 4K). All these combination of L, K lie on the same isoquant, which represents the level of output 10.” |