Interactive Simulations¶
These browser-based simulations are from Dan McCreary's Introduction to Economics open textbook, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. They run entirely in your browser --- no installation or login required.
Each simulation lets you adjust inputs and observe how economic models respond. They are organized below by the course module they most closely support. Click any link to open the simulation in a new tab.
Module 1: Understanding Economic Thinking¶
Scarcity, opportunity cost, trade-offs, economic systems, and thinking like an economist.
| Simulation | What It Teaches | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunity Cost Calculator | Quantifies the trade-offs involved in choosing one option over another | Open |
| PPF Explorer | Visualizes the production possibilities frontier and efficient vs. inefficient allocations | Open |
| Economic Systems Spectrum | Compares market, command, mixed, and traditional economic systems on a spectrum | Open |
| Correlation vs. Causation | Demonstrates why correlation does not imply causation with interactive examples | Open |
Module 2: Incentives and Human Behavior¶
Demand, utility, budget constraints, elasticity, and behavioral responses to incentives.
| Simulation | What It Teaches | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Demand Curve Explorer | Shows how price changes affect quantity demanded along a demand curve | Open |
| Marginal Utility Meter | Illustrates diminishing marginal utility as consumption increases | Open |
| Budget Constraint Explorer | Visualizes how income and prices determine the set of affordable choices | Open |
| Elasticity Calculator | Computes price elasticity of demand and shows elastic vs. inelastic responses | Open |
| Diminishing Marginal Benefit | Shows how additional units of a good provide progressively less benefit | Open |
Module 3: Market Dynamics and Labor Markets¶
Supply, demand, equilibrium, market structures, price controls, and labor markets.
| Simulation | What It Teaches | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Supply and Demand | Interactive supply and demand diagram with shifting curves and equilibrium | Open |
| Market Equilibrium Explorer | Shows how markets reach equilibrium through price adjustment | Open |
| Market Structure Spectrum | Compares perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly | Open |
| Price Ceiling Simulator | Demonstrates the effects of price ceilings, including shortages | Open |
| Price Floor Visualizer | Demonstrates the effects of price floors, including surpluses | Open |
| Labor Force Breakdown | Breaks down the population into employed, unemployed, and not in labor force | Open |
| Unemployment Classifier | Classifies types of unemployment: frictional, structural, and cyclical | Open |
Module 4: Poverty, Inequality, and Development¶
GDP measurement, efficiency vs. equity, human capital, and development indicators.
| Simulation | What It Teaches | Link |
|---|---|---|
| GDP Calculator | Computes GDP using the expenditure approach (C + I + G + NX) | Open |
| GDP Components Breakdown | Visualizes the relative shares of consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports | Open |
| Efficiency-Equity Spectrum | Explores the trade-off between economic efficiency and equitable distribution | Open |
| Human Capital ROI Calculator | Estimates the return on investment in education and skills | Open |
Module 5: Innovation, Technology, and Growth¶
Network effects, platform economics, compound growth, nominal vs. real values, and the attention economy.
| Simulation | What It Teaches | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Network Effects Visualizer | Shows how the value of a product increases as more people use it | Open |
| Platform Economics Simulator | Models two-sided markets where platforms connect buyers and sellers | Open |
| Compound Interest Visualizer | Demonstrates the power of compound growth over time | Open |
| Nominal vs. Real GDP | Illustrates the difference between nominal and inflation-adjusted GDP | Open |
| Attention Economy | Explores how attention is a scarce resource in digital markets | Open |
Module 6: Environmental and Public Economics¶
Externalities, public goods, commons, taxation, and policy evaluation.
| Simulation | What It Teaches | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Negative Externality Visualizer | Shows how negative externalities cause markets to overproduce harmful goods | Open |
| Public Goods Game | Simulates the free-rider problem in public goods provision | Open |
| Tragedy of the Commons | Models how shared resources are depleted when individuals act in self-interest | Open |
| Tax Incidence Explorer | Shows how the burden of a tax is shared between buyers and sellers depending on elasticities | Open |
| Policy Claim Evaluator | Helps evaluate the logic and evidence behind common economic policy claims | Open |
| Feedback Loops | Visualizes positive and negative feedback loops in economic systems | Open |
Attribution
All simulations are from Dan McCreary's Introduction to Economics, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.