Supply and Demand

Term Paper # 101664

Economics

Supply and Demand

This paper explores the economics of supply and demand in the scenario of a gas interruption.

775 words () | 1 source | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the supply and demand characteristics in the market caused by an interruption in the supply of gas in Arizona during the summer driving season. The paper examines the economic concepts of supply, demand, and equilibrium to represent what would occur in the description given for the scenario. The paper explains how the market forces would cause a shift or movement of both the supply and demand curves. The paper explains further that the resulting conditions would therefore create an upward pressure on prices before equilibrium is established. The paper includes diagrams of curves.

From the Paper:

"In the given situation where a major gas supply line is interrupted there are several environmental and economic factors that need to be considered to fully understand the effect of the product interruption. Environmentally, the Arizona market is a severe hot-weather market that relies on motorized transportation with no practical viable alternative transportation methods that can be temporarily utilized such as biking or walking. Additionally, the supply interruption occurred at the height of the summer season which presented several contributing factors: 1) summer is the traditional high-demand period for gas in any market and 2) the season and the traditional high demand combined to create a sense of special urgency regarding this sudden market interruption. These circumstances, when combined with the natural effects such market interruptions have on supply and demand curves, created a perfect storm of conditions that caused the natural market equilibrium to lose all balance and begin to function in an artificial manner."