some thoughts

Why is studying economics is so important for many people and for me as well?

That's very difficult question. 

Economics is the key social study nowadays, everything and everybody depends on the economics and I feel that this is the most interesting subject for me right now. With very high level of knowledge in economics I will be able to understand many complicated financial things and be able to improve some aspects of economics life (of course, if I work somewhere in government).  It's also important because the today's world situations, that could be solved only by economists, are the central problems. I'm not talking about solving ALL the problems right here and right now, but still, some improvements and positive changes in economic situations will have a huge influence on the living standards of billions of people all over the world. Economics growth of some countries will help other countries to become better too.

Some people may ask something like "hey, wait, why are you talking about this kind of problems? what about education, medicine, science?..".

Well, everything in this world is close connected with the economics. If the economic situation of particular country is very good and well developed, the educational system, as well as medicine and science, will be much better compairing to some other countries with not so good economics situation. People will be smarter and healther, their life will become as nice as the famous "american dream". 

I'm not going to tell about other aspects of our life like relationships. No, they are not connected with economics at all, because, as my mum always says, "where there are money, there are no soul". Economics can improve people's material life, anything else depends on ourselves. 

Is it efficient for people to share the bill when they go to a restaurant?

Actually, it depends on the situation.

Let's see. You invite friend to a restaurant and order only a ceasar salad for yourself, while you friend takes a soup, a salad, some hot dish and a dessert. If you share the bill, you will pay more than you ate and your friend will pay less than he ate. It's good situation for your friend, but not for you.

Or if you're on a date, it's likely a boy will pay all the bill (if he's a nice boy). The bill can be shared in this situation though, but only in case if a girl ate a little more than a boy (once again -if a boy eats more than girl and they share their bill, it's unefficient for the girl).

In which situations a bill can be shared? Good question. Maybe when there is a huge company of friends and they are just spending time together, why not to share the bill instead of counting how much everybody should pay for themselves. 

If there are only two of you going to a restaurant you can pay for the dishes you ate and it will be ok.

Conclusion: there are situations where it will be efficient to share the bill, but still - sometimes sharing a bill will take from you more money than you have to pay. 

Why do theatres discount prices on spare tickets just before a perfomance whereas airlines and rail companies raise prices for last minute customers?

Monday topic is too difficult to my brain to understand.

So yaaaay for Tuesday topic!

Let me think.

Demand for plane and train tickets is much more higher, because there always will be people who will need to get somewhere very quickly. The price for travel tickets is inelastic, because people sometimes HAVE TO travel even if they don't want: to pick up your grandmother from another city because she doesn't feel well and you have to look after her; to go to another country on special business meeting, about which you heard only this morning etc.

Theaters understand that possibility of buying tickets will not rise just before a perfomance starts (in general, I'm not talking about some really popular plays like Cats or something), so they have to low the price. If they low the price, the demand will rise and they will get some more money. If they don't low the price, the demand will fall and they won't get any money at all.

I'm so clever, aren't I?

Why are brown eggs more expensive than white ones, even though the two types taste the same and have identical nutritional value?

To answer this question I had to call my mum in Russia - in her childhood she used to live in a countryside and she helped her parents with chickens.

Hen, which produces brown eggs, eats much more food. More food means more money to spend on it.

That's why brown eggs are more expensive.

that's all.

Why is there a light in your refrigerator but not your freezer?

I have no idea. Maybe you just don't need a light in a freezer?

Ok, let's start from the beginning. Why do we need a light in a refrigerator? I don't need that, because I always can turn on the light in my kitchen. But some people are too lazy or stupid or just don't want to wake up anybody, that's why they use light in their refrigerators. Ok. Usually need light when it's dark outside - at night. Why do people go to the kitchen at night? To have a snack: some apples or a yougurt (did I spell it right? I'm not so sure).  Who keeps yougurts and apples in a freezer? Nobody. Who would have any snack from a freezer? Nobody!

And there are also these points of view, which I've found:

1. Because the temperature in a freezer is much lower than of a refrigerator, a much more expensive shatterproof bulb would have to be used. In fact, if you put a common household bulb in the fridge, it will be fine. But put it in the freezer, and it should crack after a few hours (or days, depending on the temperature you freezer operates at).

2. Because there is less demand for illuminated freezers and yet midnight snacking almost exclusively demands a refrigerator lamp, lamps are often only fitted on the higher end models.

3. Standing freezers often use closed-off pull out drawers. In order to effectively illuminate the entire fridge, a lamp would be required behind each shelf. Each of these would need to be shatterproof…

That's the points. 

And people.. don't eat anything from a freezer as a night snack!!! Ew! Take an apple!!  

Why are colour prints so much more expensive than black and white?

I couldn't find the right answer in the world wide web, so I'm thinking about this one only on my own.

Let's see. What is the difference between black-and-white prints and colour prints? You can express more with different colours, show anything you want and point at something by just using some special colour. In black-and-white you have to deal with just black colour (because we usually print on white paper). Colour prints are more useful in business and demand on them is much higher. You can use colour prints in many way and they will look much better than just black prints. 

So, the demand on colour prints is much higher. I'm not quite sure, but we can call colour prints and black-and-white prints close compliments, because if the price on colour prints rises really high, the demand on black-and-white prints will rise, because lots of people would have to switch to them.

What explains the different package sizes for DVDs and CDs when the discs are the same size?

Everybody knows the difference between DVD and CD discs, we watch movies and some video on DVDs and we listen to music on CDs (well, actually, now people prefer mp3 for music listening, but, for example, I still buy CDs).

So, to underline this difference, manifacturers have decided to have different package sizes for DVDs and CDs, so customers won't be confused. When DVDs were something brand new for people, they could easily put DVD disc into their CD players thinking that it would work. So the size of package prevent people from using discs in the wrong way.

3 posts more and I'm done for this week.

Finally! Mind Maps!

and now I'll continue doing my economics homework. 3 topics will be posted today.

Why do 24-hour convenience stores have locks on their doors?

Interesting question. 

According to their working hours, these stores should never be closed. 

But in which case the doors can be locked?

First of all, there is a human factor. Every store is runned by people, so there can be some situations when they need to leave the store for some time: visit WC or something.

Second, in case of robbery or some need to protect the store the doors can be locked.

Third, there is a special rule for the workers. They usually work for 7-12 hours and then the second worker comes to change the first one. If the second worker doesn't come, the first one has the right to leave but not forget to lock the door.

(i've decided to do another entry for today) 

Why do the keypad buttons of drive-up cash machines have Braille dots?B

The questions seems to be really stupid when you read it for the first time. Seriously, can anybody tell that he or she saw a blind man driving a car, then stopping at the drive-up cash machine and use Braille dots to read what is written there? Ok, no-one can say that. What about blind drivers? All car drivers MUST pass the eye test to prove that they are able to see where they are driving. So the conclusion is - no blind man can possibly be a driver. It's dangerous for everybody.

But still, there ARE Braille dots on the buttons of drive-up cash machines! So what's wrong?

The answer is quite easy, but it's difficult to work it out. But I did it (thanks, Google!).

A.T.M producers make at least two types of machines: drive-up and walk-up machines. Walk-up machines are surely used by the blind, so it's cheaper for the company to produce these two types of machines with the same technology than have two different technologies (with Braille dots and without them).

So, the secret of the Braille dots on the buttons in the drive-up cash machines is reveiled!

donedonedone/

Why are prices in a hotel mini-bar so expensive?

There are lots of hotels all around the world. They can be really cheap and only with a few things like a shower and a bed included; or they can be really large and luxurious with lots of different stuff like a special bed for your dog or a satellite TV to catch programs from another planet. It's your choice in which hotel to spend your holiday or a business trip.

The thing is, that if we stay in a hotel we would probably use some of its features like mini-bar, wi-fi access or a phone to call someone. And we won't even think of the price of all that. Why? Because the mini-bar prices in the hotels will be the last thing we will think about on holiday, won't they?

Yes, that's right, and the administrations of the hotels know that very well. That's why they make everything in the hotel rooms much more expensive than it is in real life. This is a sort of a charge that exists but we don't see it. Or we just don't think about it. It is just another way for hotels to earn some money on too relaxed customers.

Done-done-done for today!

Why do female models earn so much more than male models?

Ok, this is a good one.

Let's see - for what do we need models? For advertising.

Why do we need advertising? For selling goods.

What goods are sold by using advertisments with models? Clothes, mobile phones, accesorizes, some times food or some other stuff. 

Who spends more money on buying these goods - men or women? Of course, women. 

So, demand on female models is much higher - women would like to see how clothes\accesorize will look on them. Also, female models are really popular among men.

There is one more thing - fashion. Men are not so interested in fashion, so usually modeliers create clothes and stuff for women. Who will show these new collections to the world and earn millions? Female models.

That seems to be all for today. :)

the topic ot the day

Why did Japanese kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Oh, that's so easy! In their helmets there were special headphones, which connected them with other pilots, so they could know where they should fly. it was not a security helmet.

I have done my topic for today. yaaaaay for me, let's drink red bull :)

by the way, this is my DeviantArt account, but I update it not so often (because I'm busy with economics homework):

http://marytrouble.deviantart.com/