INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In the example above, we found the average MU for several goods being consumed. This is one valid way to use MU. However, it's actually more often applied to individual units of goods consumed. This gives us the precise MU for each additional good (not an average value).  Finding this is easier than it sounds. Just use the normal equation to find the MU when the change in quantity of goods consumed is one.  In the example situation, you already know the MUs for each individual unit. When you haven't had any fish, the MU of the first fish is $8 ($8 of total utility - the $0 you had before/change of 1 unit), the MU of the second fish is $6 ($14 of total utility - the $8 you had before/change of 1 unit), and so on. In economic theory, consumers make decisions about how to spend their money in an effort to maximize their utility. In other words, consumers want to get as much satisfaction as possible for their money. This means that consumers will tend to buy products or goods until the marginal utility of buying one more good is smaller than the marginal cost (the price of one more unit). Let's look at the example situation one more time. First we said that each fish costs $2. Then we determined that the first fish has an MU of $8, the second has an MU of $6, the third has an MU of $3, and the fourth has an MU of $1. Given this information, you wouldn't actually end up buying the fourth fish. Its marginal utility ($1) is less than its marginal cost ($2). Basically, you're losing utility on this transaction, so it's not in your favor.)

SUMMARY: Use the equation to find the MU for each additional unit. Use the equation to maximize your utility. Determine lost utility.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Sweet potato slips need a bit more space than some other garden vegetables, so dig your holes 12–24 inches (30.5–61.0 cm) apart each. They need be only as deep as the root ball on the bottom of the slips and about ½ an inch up the base of the plant. Place each small slip in your pre-dug holes and cover the stems with soil about ½ of an inch up the base. The leafy part of the potato plant will begin to sprawl in vines outwards while the roots will produce the tubers between 6–12 inches (15.2–30.5 cm) deep in the soil. Protect your sweet potatoes from cold weather by adding your chosen mulch to the top. This will also help to block out weeds and prevent too much vine growth, which steal energy from tuber growth. At first planting the sweet potatoes will require a lot of water. Over time, you should reduce the amount that you water them until they receive moisture only about once a week. Begin watering daily, knocking off days from your watering schedule as each week progresses. Sweet potatoes have a relatively long fruiting period, becoming ripe and ready to harvest in the early fall (hence their association with Thanksgiving). Continue watering on a weekly basis, and weeding the beds if necessary to keep the plants healthy. After about 120 days after planting, the sweet potatoes should have reached full maturity. When possible, wait until the last possible time (the last warm weather before a frost) to harvest the sweet potatoes, as this will result in larger and more tasteful tubers. One of the most important steps, sweet potatoes must be cured after harvest. This will help them to develop their flavor (they won’t have much immediately after being dug up) and to grow a tougher skin - literally. Place the sweet potatoes in an area with a temperature of 85–95 °F (29–35 °C) with 80-90% humidity for 5-10 days. After this, they should be ready to eat! Consider using a small space heater and a humidifier in a large closet or small room to cure the potatoes. One of the best things about these lovely tubers is that they will remain fresh and good to eat for many months if stored properly. Keep the potatoes in temperatures hovering around 70 degrees (that means no refrigeration!) in an open, dry area. Never store your sweet potatoes in a plastic bag or tightly sealed container.

SUMMARY: Dig your holes. Plant your potatoes. Add your mulch. Water the plants. Wait for the tubers to develop. Harvest the sweet potatoes. Cure the sweet potatoes. Store your sweet potatoes.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Silkscreens can only apply one color at a time, so create a simple shape or outline to begin learning. Whatever you draw will eventually be the inked part of the print. To make your own print, you need:  Poster board, thin cardboard, or other thick & sturdy paper. Pencil X-acto knife or another precision knife Screen printing isn't difficult, as what you draw is exactly what you get on the final print. However, there are certain principles and limitations to screen printing that you should know as you design your print:  You can only print 1 color at a time. High contrast images (like black on white) work the best, as you cannot use shading. For complex designs, you need to make multiple prints, one for each color, and layer them after the ink has dried. Sketch out the blocks of your design. You can upload photos or other images into photo editing software as well and use those. To do so, reduce the drawing to a basic two-tone outline then print it. To make a stencil on Photoshop, for example, you would take a black and white image and click Image → Adjustments → Threshold, then set it up near the highest it can be. Everything that you cut away will be un-inked on the final print, and everything covered by the stencil will be covered in ink. For example, imagine you are printing the red logo of a bulls-eye on a white t-shirt. When you cut out the stencil, all of the rings that you cut away will be white, and all of the rings that are covered by the stencil will be red. For complex prints, it can be very difficult to cut out the entire outline. In this case, use thick black ink on transparent paper to make your stencil. Your stencil or drawing needs to block light, as this is what etches the design into the screen and allows you to print. Everything covered by a stencil or black ink will not get exposed to light, leaving it "open" and allowing ink to pass onto the shirt or item.

SUMMARY: Create a stencil of your design. Know the artistic limitations and challenges of screen-printed designs. Sketch your design onto the poster board. Cut the design out as a stencil. Alternatively, draw your design on transparent paper.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Mice can be prolific breeders, but they don't become sexually mature until they are six to eight weeks old. Don't expect them to mate before this time. Just feed your mice well and keep them comfortable until they are old enough to breed. Generally, putting one male with two females in a single cage will increase the chances of breeding. To prevent fighting, it’s important that there’s only one male in each cage.  If you’re not sure which mice are male, gently lift them up by the tail and look between their legs. The testes should be very visible on male mice. Most mice will not normally fight with others. However, some male mice might become hostile, especially if they sense females nearby that are ready to mate. More rarely, some females may become aggressive with each other. If you have any aggressive mice on your hands, isolate them. Gently grasp them by the tail and move them into another cage to live by themselves instead of attempting to use them for breeding. If mice are healthy and grouped properly, there’s a good chance they will breed without any intervention. Female mice will enter estrus (be ready to breed) every three to four days, so things might happen quickly. If you are trying to breed quickly, you can rotate a couple of different females in each male mouse’s cage every 1-2 weeks. This will likely increase the number of females that become pregnant. When mice have mated, there will be a “plug” visible on the rear of the female. This plug is actually hardened semen, and it should remain in place for about 12 hours after mating. Even if you see the plug, however, it does not guarantee that the mouse has conceived and is pregnant, only that it has mated with a male.

SUMMARY:
Wait six to eight weeks before attempting to mate your mice. Decide which mice will be roommates. Isolate aggressive mice. Let the mice do their thing. Check if mating has occurred.