10.

Define

fixed input and variable input of production.

Term fixed input Definition: An input in the production of goods and services that does not change in the short run. A fixed input should be compared with a variable input, an input that DOES change in the short run. Fixed and variable inputs are most important for the analysis of short-run production by a firm. The best example of a fixed input is the factory, building, equipment, or other capital used in production. The comparable example of a variable input would then be the labor or workers who work in the factory or operate the equipment. In the short run (such as a day or so) a firm can vary the quantity of labor, but the quantity of capital is fixed. A fixed input is a resource or factor of production which cannot be changed in the short run by a firm as it seeks to change the quantity of output produced. Most firms have several fixed inputs in short-run production, especially buildings, equipment, and land. However, in the analysis of short-run production, a great deal of insight is achieved by focusing on the fixed role of capital. Term variable input Definition An input whose quantity can be changed in the time period under consideration. This usually goes by the shorter term fixed input and should be immediately compared and contrasted with fixed factor of production, which goes by the shorter term fixed input. The most common example of a variable factor of production is labor. A variable factor of production provides the extra inputs that a firm needs to expand short-run production. In contrast, a fixed factor of production, like capital, provides the capacity constraint in Term variable input Definition production. As larger quantities of a variable factor of production, like labor, are added to a fixed factor of production like capital, the variable factor of production becomes less productive. A variable input is a resource or factor of production which can be changed in the short run by a firm as it seeks to change the quantity of output produced. Most firms use several variable inputs in short-run production, especially labor, material inputs, and energy. However, in the analysis of short-run production, a great deal of insight is achieved by focusing on the variable use of labor. Relationship between quantity of output and unit of input: Fixed input does not create any notable change in the quantity of output.Fixed input is unaffected by any variation in the quantity of output. Whereas, variable input affect greatly in the amount of output. Quantity of output varies with the units of variable input. A graph is shown below to present that fact-

The graph depicts that from the origin to point A, the firm is experiencing increasing returns to variable inputs: As additional inputs are employed, output increases at an increasing rate. Both marginal physical product (MPP, the derivative of the production function) and average physical product (APP, the ratio of output to the variable input) are rising. The inflection point A defines the point beyond which there are diminishing marginal returns, as can be seen from the declining MPP curve beyond point X. From point A to point C, the firm is experiencing positive but decreasing marginal returns to the variable input. As additional units of the input are employed, output increases but at a decreasing rate. Point B is the point beyond which there are diminishing average returns, as shown by the declining slope of the average physical product curve (APP) beyond point Y. Point B is just tangent to the steepest ray from the origin hence the average physical product is at a maximum. In point C or Stage 3, too much variable input is being used relative to the available fixed inputs: variable inputs are over-utilized in the sense that their presence on the margin obstructs the production process rather than enhancing it. The output per unit of both the fixed and the variable input declines throughout this stage. At the boundary between stage 2 and stage 3, the highest possible output is being obtained from the fixed input.

EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF PRODUCTION FUNCTION? PRODUCTION FUNCTION: production function, in economics, equation that expresses the relationship between the quantities of productive factors (such as labour and capital) used and the amount of product obtained. It states the amount of product that can be obtained from every combination of factors, assuming that the most efficient available methods of production are used. However much of a commodity a business firm produces, it endeavours to produce it as cheaply as possible. Taking the quality of the product and the prices of the productive factors as given, which is the usual situation, the firms task is to determine the cheapest combination of factors of production that can produce the desired output. This task is best understood in terms of what is called the production function, i.e., an equation that expresses the relationship between the quantities of factors employed and the amount of product obtained.

According to Paul A. Samuelson Production function specifies the maximum output that can be produced with a given quantity of inputs. It is defined for a given state of engineering and technical knowledge. A production function provides an abstract mathematical representation of the relation between the production of a good and the inputs used. A production function is usually expressed in this general form:
Q = f(L, K)

where: Q = quantity of production or output, L = quantity of labor input, and K = quantity of capital input. The letter "f" indicates a generic, as of yet unspecified, functional equation. The analysis of short-run production is commonly performed at the introductory level with simple tables and graphs. These are useful abstraction methods for isolating and analyzing key aspects of short-run production. However, mathematical equations are another, often more powerful, method of abstract analysis. This is where the production function comes into play. Because a mathematical equation can extend beyond the two dimensions of a graph, it is possible to consider relations beyond just that for a variable input and total production. If the production function takes the form of a specific equation (such as Q = 5L + 10K + 2LK), then a total product curve relating total product and the variable input can be plotted. However, to do so, one of the two inputs (L or K) must be designated as a variable input and one designated as a fixed input. For most types of production, labor is more readily changed than capital, so L is generally the variable input and K is usually

the fixed input. A short-run total product curve can then be derived by "fixing" K at a particular value, then plotting the values of Q for alternative values of L. While a great deal of economic insight into short-run production decisions of a firm and market supply curves can be analyzed with a simple graph, when economists begin using mathematical equations, such as the production function, Q = f(L, K), the possibilities are almost unlimited. A wide assortment of additional input variables can be added to this equation to make it, not only more sophisticated, but also more revealing

Graphical presentation of law of diminishing marginal return

In this figuire,oq represent the units of variable inputs per period of time.OTP represent the total product.TP is the total product curve.With the increase of the units of variable inputs total product increases at a decreasing rate,goes to maximum and then decline. In the below figuire MR is the marginal return.From the origin, through points A, B, and C, the production function is rising, indicating that as additional units of inputs are used, the quantity of output also increases. Beyond point C, the employment of additional units of inputs produces no additional output (in fact, total output starts to decline); the variable input is being used too intensively. With too much variable input use relative to the available fixed inputs, the company is experiencing negative marginal returns to variable inputs, and diminishing total returns. In the diagram this is illustrated by the negative marginal product curve (MP) beyond point Z, and the declining production function beyond point C.