In: Economics
At the Santa Barbara fishing hole, people come from all around
to catch fish to sell at the fish market.
The total number of fish caught is F = 10x-x2
where x is the number of fishermen. Suppose it costs
each person $20 a day to fish and that fish sell for $10 each at
the market. At the social optimum,
how much would it hurt all the other fishermen (combined) if one
more person started fishing?
(a) $30
(b) $20
(c) $10
(d) $40
Answer D=40
could you please explain in detail?
Soln. At social optimum, marginal social benefit = marginal social cost
Let no of fisherman = 2
Therefore, no of fish caught = 10*x - x2 = 10*2 - 22 = 16
Total sale of the market = 10*16 (price of each fish is $10 and total no of fish is 16) = $160
Total cost of the market = 20*2 (cost for each fisherman to fish is $20 and total fisherman is 2) = $40
Benefit of market = total sale - total cost
= $160 - $40 = $120
Combined benefit of all the fisherman = $120
Benefit of each fisherman = 120/2 = $60
Now, let 1 extra fisherman added.
Therefore, total no of fisherman = 3
No of fish caught = 10*3 - 32 = 30 - 9 = 21
Total sale of the market = 10*21(price of each fish is $10 and total no of fish is 21)= $210
Total cost of the market = 20*3 (cost for each fisherman to fish is $20 and total fisherman is 3) = $60
New benefit of market = total sale - total cost
= $210 - $60 = $150
Benefit of each fisherman = 150/3= $50
Loss of each fisherman = $60 - $50 = $10
Combined loss = 2*20 = $20