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Supply Curve Explorer

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About This MicroSim

This MicroSim demonstrates the Law of Supply using a pizza shop example. Students can see how changing the price of pizza affects the quantity that producers are willing to supply, tracing points along an upward-sloping supply curve. The simulation includes an info box that explains why higher prices incentivize more production and why lower prices lead fewer producers to cover their costs.

How to Use

  1. Adjust the Price slider at the bottom of the simulation to change the market price of pizza from $1 to $30.
  2. Observe the red dot move along the orange supply curve, showing the quantity supplied at each price level.
  3. Read the info box in the upper right for the current price, quantity, and an explanation of the economic principle at work.
  4. Click the scenario buttons ("Pizza at $8", "Pizza at $15", "Pizza at $25") to jump to preset price levels and compare outcomes.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/economics-course/sims/supply-curve-explorer/main.html"
        height="452px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School Economics)

Duration

10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of what a market is
  • Familiarity with reading graphs (x-axis and y-axis)

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Move the price slider from the lowest to highest value. Record the quantity supplied at $5, $15, and $25. What pattern do you notice?
  2. Guided Practice (5 min): Use the scenario buttons to compare the three price levels. For each scenario, explain in your own words why a pizza shop owner would supply that quantity.
  3. Assessment (5 min): Without looking at the simulation, predict what would happen to quantity supplied if the price dropped from $20 to $10. Then verify your prediction using the slider.

Assessment

  • Students can correctly state the Law of Supply (price and quantity supplied move in the same direction)
  • Students can explain why higher prices encourage more production using the pizza shop context
  • Students can read a supply curve graph and identify the quantity supplied at a given price

References

  1. Supply (economics) - Wikipedia - Overview of supply in economic theory and the Law of Supply.
  2. Law of Supply - Investopedia - Detailed explanation of the positive relationship between price and quantity supplied.
  3. Supply and Demand - Khan Academy - Video lessons and practice problems on supply curves.