× Didn't find what you were looking for? Ask a question
Top Posters
Since Sunday
New Topic  
PaulKet PaulKet
wrote...
Posts: 488
Rep: 6 0
6 years ago
Sarah has the utility function U(x) = 1 - 1/x, where x is the present value of her lifetime income. Sarah is trying to select a career. If she goes into teaching, she will make x=5 with certainty. If she pursues acting, she will make x=400 if successful or x=2 if unsuccessful (and therefore ends up waiting tables). The chance of succeeding in acting is 1% if she pursues acting.
a.   Determine which career Sarah will choose. Is she choosing the career with the higher expected value? Explain.
b.   An acting career expert charges 0.01 to determine if a person will succeed at acting. By going to an expert, Sarah can choose the best career according to her skills. Assuming that the expert is able to correctly determine if Sarah will be a successful actor, will she pay for this service?
Textbook 
Microeconomics: Theory and Applications with Calculus

Microeconomics: Theory and Applications with Calculus


Edition: 4th
Author:
Read 23 times
2 Replies
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

Related Topics

Replies
wrote...
6 years ago
a.   Sarah's expected utility from each career is:
      EU(teaching) = U(5) = 0.80
      EU(acting) = 0.01 U(400) + 0.99 U(2) = 0.55
She prefers to take the less risky career teaching. The EV's are:
      EV(teaching) = 5
      EV(acting) = 0.01(400) + 0.99(2) = 5.98
Acting has a higher EV, but because it is more risky she pursues teaching.
b.   If she goes to the expert and learns that she will not succeed at acting, she will change to teaching. Her expected utility from not going to the expert is 0.80 (*she will become a teacher as we found in a.). Her expected utility from seeing the expert is:
      EU(expert) = 0.01 U(400 – 0.01) + 0.99 U(5 – 0.01) = .802 > .800
She will go with the expert.
PaulKet Author
wrote...
5 years ago
Smiling Face with Open Mouth Yay, got perfect on my quiz
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.
New Topic      
Explore
Post your homework questions and get free online help from our incredible volunteers
  1246 People Browsing
Related Images
  
 358
  
 59
  
 337
Your Opinion
Who will win the 2024 president election?
Votes: 3
Closes: November 4