El Niño wind patterns affected the weather across the United States during the winter of 1997-1998.Suppose the demand for home heating oil in Connecticut is given by Q = 20 - 2P_hho + 0.5P_ng - TEMP,where Q is the quantity of home heating oil demanded,P_hho is the price of home heating oil per unit,P_ng is the price of natural gas per unit,and TEMP is the absolute difference between the average winter temperature over the past 10 years and the current average winter temperature.If the current price of home heating oil is $1.20,the current price of natural gas is $2.00,and the average winter temperature this year is 40 degrees compared to 28 degrees over the past 10 years,the price elasticity of demand for home heating oil is: A) -0.09. B) -0.36. C) -1.2. D) -2. E) none of the above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The price elasticity of demand is calculated using the formula: (dQ/dP) * (P/Q). Here, dQ/dP is -2 (from the demand equation), P is $1.20, and Q is calculated by substituting the given values into the demand equation: Q = 20 - 2(1.20) + 0.5(2.00) - (40-28) = 20 - 2.4 + 1 - 12 = 6.6. Thus, elasticity = (-2) * (1.20/6.6) = -0.36.

El Niño Wind Patterns Affected the Weather Across the United