Because total utility is constant along an indifference curve, the marginal rate of substitution is also constant.

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The marginal rate of substitution is the amount of one good that a consumer is willing to give up in order to obtain an additional unit of another good without changing their level of satisfaction. It is not necessarily constant along an indifference curve, but may diminish as the consumer obtains more of one good and less of another. The marginal rate of substitution (MRS) measures the rate at which a consumer is willing to trade one good for another while still maintaining the same level of satisfaction. The MRS can vary along an indifference curve because as a consumer consumes more of one good, the marginal utility of that good will decrease, causing the consumer to need more of the other good to maintain the same level of satisfaction. Therefore, the MRS will change along the curve as the consumer moves to different bundles of goods.

Because Total Utility Is Constant Along an Indifference Curve, the Marginal