Question

Pencils sell for 10 cents and pens sell for 50 cents. Suppose Jae, whose preferences satisfy all of the basic assumptions, is currently spending all his income on both goods. The marginal rate of substitution for pens to pencils is 5. In order to achieve optimum, what should he do

Answer 1

Answer:

Jae should do nothing and continue purchasing the same amount of pens and pencils.

Explanation:

The current rate of substitution that maximizes Jae's utility is Px / Py = 0.50 / 0.10 = 5. That means that Jae will purchase 5 pencils for every pen that he buys, and that is exactly what he is doing right now.