Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Assuming no pollution explain why a road is only an example of market failure when it is congested essays

Assuming no pollution explain why a road is only an example of market failure when it is congested essays Assuming no pollution, explain why a road is only an example of market failure when it is congested. When a road is not congested and the traffic can move freely along it, the private cost is equal to the social cost. The road is non-rivalrous because everybody who wants to use it can. For every user that uses the road above the amount that makes the road rivalrous, they have to pay the externality of the congestion. As more people join, the externality increases. The externality is also known as the external cost. Because the road becomes congested, the journey time of the users is lengthened. The additional road users should pay the cost of the other users time. On a congested road, a car for example uses more fuel than it would on a non-congested road, this cost should also be considered. Measuring the social cost is very difficult. Listed above are just two factors that determine the extent of the social cost. The social cost can be different at different times of the day, e.g. at 8:30am in the morning, the roads are very busy because of people travelling to work. The same goes for 5pm when people finish work. In the early hours of the morning it is unlikely that you will any cars at all. There is market failure when the Marginal Social Cost (MSC) is greater than the Marginal Private Cost (MPB). This only happens when the road is congested (we can see this from the diagram). This is why a road is an example of market failure only when it is congested. The additional motorists that wish to use a congested road should pay the external cost, we can see this also on the graph. ...

Monday, March 2, 2020

The History of Chinese Chopsticks

The History of Chinese Chopsticks Chopsticks play an important role in Chinese food culture. Chopsticks are called Kuaizi in Chinese and were called Zhu in ancient times (see the characters above). Chinese people have been using kuaizi as one of the main tableware for more than 3,000 years. History of Chopsticks It was recorded in Liji (The Book of Rites) that chopsticks were used in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1100 BC). It was mentioned in Shiji (the Chinese history book) by Sima Qian (about 145 BC) that Zhou, the last king of the Shang Dynasty (around 1100 BC), used ivory chopsticks. Experts believe the history of wood or bamboo chopsticks can be dated to about 1,000 years earlier than ivory chopsticks. Bronze chopsticks were invented in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC - 771 BC). Lacquer chopsticks from the Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) were discovered in Mawangdui, China. Gold and silver chopsticks became popular in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). It was believed that silver chopsticks could detect poisons in food. Materials to Make Them Chopsticks can be classified into five groups based on the materials used to make them, i.e., wood, metal, bone, stone, and compound chopsticks. Bamboo and wood chopsticks are the most popular ones used in Chinese homes. How Not to Use Your Chopsticks There are a few things to avoid when using chopsticks. Chinese people usually dont beat their bowls while eating, since the behavior used to be practiced by beggars. Also dont insert chopsticks in a bowl upright because it is a custom exclusively used in sacrifice. If you are really interested in chopsticks, you may want to visit the Kuaizi Museum in Shanghai. The museum collected over 1,000 pairs of chopsticks. The oldest one was from the Tang Dynasty.