Question

Suppose that the marginal utility of good Y = 2X2 and the marginal utility of good X = 4XY. What is the slope of the indifference curve when Y = 7 and X = 2? Assume that good X is on the horizontal axis and good Y is on the vertical axis.

Answer 1

Answer:

The slope of indifference curve is 7.

Explanation:

The marginal utility of good Y = 2X^2

The marginal utility of good X = 4XY

Given Y = 7

X = 2

The slope of the indifference curve is otherwise termed as the marginal rate of substitution. So, we can find the slope by dividing the marginal utility of Y by the marginal utility of X.

Slope = MUx / MUy

= 4XY / 2X^2

= 4Y / 2X

Now insert the value of X and Y.

= (4×7) / (2×2)

= 28/4

= 7  

Hence the slope of the indifference curve is 7.