Ultra-Simplification of Reality

2 different products (ice crean & shoes, potatoes & meat)

The curve signals the maximum amount of goods you can produce with the amount of resources (labor, capital, land, knowledge). The resources stay constant. Decision on how much of which I want to produce.

A great visualization of scarcity.

A point:

  • on the curve: efficient
  • inside the curve: not efficient
  • outside the curve: unattainable

Shape of the curve: how much do I have to sacrifice in my current product, so that I can produce 1 more unit of the other product

  • straight
    • sacrifice stays constant (1:1)
  • convex (outward)
    • products profit from being produced together
  • concave (inward)
    • products do not profit from being produced together