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The AMATYC Review Spring 2006, Vol.27, No.2 |
The Calculus of Elasticity |
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Warren B. Gordon is professor and chair of the Department
of Mathematics at Baruch College, and has recently been interested in integration
of technology and applications to the calculus curriculum. He has just completed
a text which will appear in the fall 2006, providing an integrated approach
to precalculus and applied calculus, including the use of technology. E-mail: wgordon@baruch.cuny.edu |
| This paper examines the elasticity of demand,
and shows that geometrically, it may be interpreted as the ratio of two
simple distances along the tangent line: the distance from the point on
the curve to the x-intercept to the distance from the point on the curve to the y-intercept. It also shows that total revenue is maximized at the transition point from elastic to inelastic demand; when elasticity is unitary. |
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