WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Substitute and Complementary Goods

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Type of relationship
goods
substitute
complementary
Parameters on the left market
slope
-0.5
price
p
1
This Demonstration shows the dependence of market demand for a given good (indexed "0") as a reaction to price changes on the other market (indexed "1"), which can be a market for either substitute or complementary goods. Substitute goods are competitive, so an increase in the price of substitutes leads to an increase in demand, and a decrease in their prices reduces demand. The opposite holds true for complementary goods that are, by definition, consumed in conjunction with the given product. This topic is often explained using the cross-price elasticity concept, but it lacks an intuitive dynamic visualization and also hides the difference between demand and quantity of demand.