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Suppose that there are two goods, X and Y. The utility function is U = XY + 2Y. The price of one unit of X is P, and the price of one unit of Y is £5. Income is £60. Derive the demand for X as a function of P.

User Lacey
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Final answer:

To derive the demand for good X, the budget constraint PX + 5Y = 60 is used along with the utility function U = XY + 2Y to find the utility-maximizing quantities. By solving this system, one can express the demand for X as a function of its price P.

Step-by-step explanation:

You are tasked with determining the demand for good X as a function of its price P, given the utility function U = XY + 2Y, a price of £5 for good Y, and an income of £60. First, form the budget constraint by equating expenditure on goods X and Y to the income: PX + 5Y = 60. Next, find the utility-maximizing quantities by taking partial derivatives of the utility function with respect to X and Y and setting them to zero (considering the budget constraint through a Lagrange multiplier or the substitution method).

To find the demand function for X, solve the system of equations derived from the first-order conditions and budget constraint. Isolate variable X in terms of P to express the demand function for good X. Note that this problem assumes no change in the price of good Y or the income level when deriving the demand function.

User Lewi Uberg
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