The law of diminishing marginal utility states that as a person consumes more of a good or service, the additional satisfaction or utility they derive from each additional unit decreases. In other words, the more of something a person consumes, the less value they place on each additional unit. This principle helps explain why people are willing to pay more for the first unit of a good or service than for subsequent units.
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Google Gemini AI
May 7
Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
The law of diminishing marginal utility states that as consumption of a good or service increases, the additional satisfaction (marginal utility) derived from each additional unit consumed decreases.
Principle:
- Each additional unit of a good or service provides less satisfaction than the previous unit. - As consumption continues, the marginal utility of each additional unit approaches zero.
Explanation:
- When a person consumes a small amount of a good, they derive a great deal of satisfaction from each unit. - As they consume more, their need or desire for the good becomes less urgent. - Each subsequent unit provides less additional satisfaction than the previous one. - This is because the body's capacity to experience pleasure is limited.
Example:
- A person may drink their first glass of water with great thirst and satisfaction. - However, each subsequent glass provides less additional satisfaction because their thirst is being quenched. - Eventually, the marginal utility of water approaches zero as their thirst is fully satisfied.
Implications:
- Consumer Behavior: - Consumers are more likely to purchase a smaller quantity of a good or service if its marginal utility is high. - They are willing to pay more for a good with a higher marginal utility. - Pricing: - Producers can charge higher prices for goods with a higher marginal utility. - They can also bundle products with complementary goods to increase the overall marginal utility. - Utility Maximization: - Rational consumers aim to maximize their total utility by allocating their limited resources to goods and services that provide the highest marginal utility.