Elasticity of Demand and Supply
Elasticity of Demand and Supply
Elasticity of Demand and Supply
Supply
• Law of demand tells us about the direction of relationship
between price and the quantity demanded, it tells us that if
there is a increase in price than there should be a decrease in
quantity demanded of that particular commodity, but it does
not tells us that how much the quantity demanded should
decrease. The answer is given by elasticity of demand.
Elasticity of demand refers to the change in the demand of a
commodity in response to a change in price of the commodity,
or change in income of the consumer or change in the prices of
related goods.
• According to Prof, Marshall,” Elasticity of demand may be
defined as the percentage change in the quantity demanded
divided by the percentage change in the price.”
• According to Stonier and Hague,” Elasticity of demand is a
technical term used by the economists to describe the degree
of responsiveness of demand of a commodity to a change in its
price.”
• According to Dooley,” The elasticity of demand measures the
responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good, to change
in its price, price of other goods and changes in consumer’s
income.”
• Generally we can divide elasticity of demand
into three parts,
• 1. Price elasticity of demand
• 2. Income elasticity of demand
• 3. Cross elasticity of demand
• Now we will discuss all the types of elasticity
of demand in detail,
Price Elasticity of Demand
• The increase or decrease in quantity
demanded due to increase or decrease in price
of the particular commodity is known as price
elasticity of demand. According to Prof,
Lipsey,” Price elasticity of demand may be
defined as the ratio of the percentage change
in demand to the percentage change in price.”
Percentage change in quantity demanded
Pe =
Percentage change in price
• Degree of Price elasticity of demand
• According to Prof, Marshall,” The elasticity of demand is great or small
according as the amount demanded increases much or little with a fall in
price and diminishes much or little for a given rise in price.” If there is an
increase or decrease in price, than the decrease or increase in quantity
demanded is not always equal to the change in price. There can be more
change in quantity demanded
• In comparison with change in price, or it can be less and it can also be
equal. We have five degrees of price elasticity of demand.
• 1. Perfectly Elastic Demand.
• 2. Perfectly Inelastic Demand.
• 3. Unitary Elastic Demand.
• 4. More Elastic Demand.
• 5. Less Elastic demand.
Perfectly Elastic Demand
When there is a small change in price and the quantity
demanded infinitely increases or decreases. That situation is
known as Perfectly Elastic demand.
A B
Pric e
P D
X
O Q Q1
Quantity demanded
Perfectly Inelastic Demand
It is the situation in which there is absolutely no change due to change in the price
of that particular commodity. We can explain the perfectly inelastic demand with
Y
D
P1 A
Pric e
P B
X
O
Q
Quantity Demanded
• Unitary Elastic Demand
• This is a situation in which the change in price is
exactly equals to the change in quantity demand.
When the proportionate change in price is equals to
the proportionate change in quantity demanded, that
situation is refers to unitary elastic demand. We can
better understand the concept of unitary elastic
demand with the help of a graph.
Y
A
P
Pric e
B
P1
D
X
O Q Q1
Quantity Demanded
• More Elastic Demand
• This refers to that situation in which the
proportionate change in price is less and the
proportionate change in quantity demanded is more
in comparison with price. It means a little or less
change in price leads to a greater change in quantity
demanded. It can also be easily understand with the
help of a graph of more elastic demand.
Y
D
A
B
P
P1 D
Price
X
O Q Q1
Quantity Demanded
• Less Elastic Demand
• In this case the proportionate change in price
is more in comparison with proportionate
change in quantity demanded of a particular
commodity. In case of necessities goods, the
demand is less elastic. The demand curve in
this situation tends to be vertical, that can be
seen in the graph that is given below:
Y
A
P1
Price
P B
X
O Q1 Q
Quantity Demanded
Factors determining Price Elasticity of Demand
Ep = Q2 – Q1 / Q1
P2 – P1/ P1
Q2 – Q1 P2 – P1
Ep = ÷
Q1 + Q2 P1 + P2
Or
∆Q Y
EY = ×
∆Y Q
We can divide income elasticity of demand into
three types,
• 1. Positive income elasticity of demand
• 2. Negative income elasticity of demand
• 3. Zero income elasticity of demand
• Positive Income Elasticity of Demand
• When there is a positive relationship between income and the
quantity demanded, that situation is known as positive income
elasticity of demand. In other words we can say if the quantity
demanded of a commodity increases with the increase in
income of the consumer and decreases with the decrease in
income the income elasticity of demand is positive. It can be
explain with the help of a figure,
EY = Positive
D
Y1
Q Q1
EY is negative
Y1
In c o m e
D
X
O Q
Q1
Quantity
EY is 0
Y1
In c o m e
D
X
O
Q
Quantity
Dr. A. K. Upadhyay