How do you find the demand function from Cobb Douglas utility function?
John Hall
Updated on February 07, 2026
There are several classes of utility functions that are frequently used to generate demand functions. One of the most common is the Cobb-Douglas utility function, which has the form u(x, y) = x a y 1 – a. Another common form for utility is the Constant Elasticity of Substitution (CES) utility function.
How do you use the demand function?
Plug one ordered data pair into the equation y = mx + b and solve for b, the price just high enough to eliminate any sales. In the example, using the first ordered pair gives $2.50 = -0.25(10 quarts) + b. The solution is b = $5, making the demand function y = -0.25x + $5.
How is the demand equation derived from a demand schedule?
Qd = a – b(P)
- Q = quantity demand.
- a = all factors affecting price other than price (e.g. income, fashion)
- b = slope of the demand curve.
- P = Price of the good.
What are the properties of Marshallian demand function?
Q.E.D. Thus, assuming the consumer’s utility is continuous and locally non-satiated, we have established four properties of the Marshallian demand function: it “exists”, is insensitive to proportional increases in price and income, exhausts the consumer’s budget, and is single-valued if preferences are strictly convex.
How do you identify supply and demand functions?
Using the equation for a straight line, y = mx + b, we can determine the equations for the supply and demand curve to be the following: Demand: P = 15 – Q. Supply: P = 3 + Q.
Which is the correct demand function?
In its standard form a linear demand equation is Q = a – bP. That is, quantity demanded is a function of price. The inverse demand equation, or price equation, treats price as a function f of quantity demanded: P = f(Q). 5Q, the right side of which is the inverse demand function.