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<p>Economics is not math. There is no important concept in this course that cannot be explained without mathematics. That said, math is a tool that can be used to illustrate economic concepts. Remember the saying a picture is worth a thousand words? Instead of a picture, think of a graph. It is the same thing. Economists use models as the primary tool to derive insights about economic issues and problems. Math is one way of working with (or manipulating) economic models.</p>
<p>There are other ways of representing models, such as text or narrative. But why would you use your fist to bang a nail, if you had a hammer? Math has certain advantages over text. It disciplines your thinking by making you specify exactly what you mean. You can get away with fuzzy thinking in your head, but you cannot when you reduce a model to algebraic equations. At the same time, math also has disadvantages. Mathematical models are necessarily based on simplifying assumptions, so they are not likely to be perfectly realistic. Mathematical models also lack the nuances which can be found in narrative models. The point is that math is one tool, but it is not the only tool or even always the best tool economists can use. So what math will you need for this book? The answer is: little more than high school algebra and graphs. You will need to know:</p>
<ul>
<li>What a function is</li>
<li>How to interpret the equation of a line (i.e., slope and intercept)</li>
<li>How to manipulate a line (i.e., changing the slope or the intercept)</li>
<li>How to compute and interpret a growth rate (i.e., percentage change)</li>
<li>How to read and manipulate a graph</li>
</ul>
<p>In the next set of tutorials on Economics, we will use the easiest math possible, and we will introduce it in this appendix. So if you find some math in the book that you cannot follow, come back to this appendix to review. Like most things, math has diminishing returns. A little math ability goes a long way; the more advanced math you bring in, the less additional knowledge that will get you. That said, if you are going to major in economics, you should consider learning a little calculus. It will be worth your while in terms of helping you learn advanced economics more quickly.</p>
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The Use of Mathematics in Principles of Economics

Economics studies social behavior guiding the allocation of scarce resources to meet the unlimited needs and desires of the individual members of a given society, and for the production of goods and services, growth of production and welfare over time, and a great variety of other complex issues of vital concern to society. 

Economics

Learn about the fundamental concepts and theories in economics, including scarcity, specialization, trade, and the use of models to understand economic issues, as well as the history and importance of the subject in today&#8217;s globalized world.


The Use of Mathematics in Principles of Economics

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