A concrete block manufacturing factory operates in the short run with fixed molding machin… — JAMB UTME

A concrete block manufacturing factory operates in the short run with fixed molding machinery and variable labor ( $L$ ). When $4$ workers are employed, the average product of labor ( $AP_L$ ) is $30$ blocks per worker. When a $5\text{th}$ worker is hired, the total product of labor ( $TP_L$ ) increases to $145$ blocks. What is the marginal product ( $MP_L$ ) of the $5\text{th}$ worker?

Answer: 25 blocks

Answer

The marginal product of the 5th worker is 25 blocks.

To find the marginal product of the 5th worker, first determine total product for 4 workers by multiplying 4 workers by their average product of 30 blocks, giving 120 blocks. The marginal product of the 5th worker is the difference between the total product with 5 workers (145 blocks) and total product with 4 workers (120 blocks), which equals 25 blocks.

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate the total output produced by 4 workers using the average product formula

Total Product for 4 workers (

TP_4

) =

4 \times 30 = 120

blocks.

Average Product (

AP

) equals Total Product (

TP

) divided by Labor (

L

), so

TP = L \times AP

Calculate the change in total output resulting from employing the 5th worker

Marginal Product (

MP_5

) =

145 - 120 = 25

blocks.

Marginal Product is the addition to total output when one additional unit of variable input is employed (

MP_L = \Delta TP / \Delta L

Key Concept

Short-Run Marginal Product and Total Product Relationships

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