Week 5 — Readings & Resources

Course: Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 2) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Ashford
Focus: Aggregate Demand & Aggregate Supply · Objective 5

Everything below is a link to a free external resource — nothing is embedded, copied, or downloaded. Links were verified live at build time; if one ever rots, the per-term update re-checks them. (Canvas: a Page of links + ExternalUrl module items.)

📖 Read (≈30 min)

1. OpenStax, Principles of Macroeconomics 3e — Ch. 11, "Introduction to the Aggregate Supply–Aggregate Demand Model."
   🔗 https://openstax.org/books/principles-macroeconomics-3e/pages/11-introduction-to-the-aggregate-supply-aggregate-demand-model
   Builds the AD–AS model from the ground up; explains SRAS vs. LRAS and how shifts relate to growth, unemployment, and inflation — the spine of today's lecture.

2. Khan Academy — "National income and price determination" (Macroeconomics)
   🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/macroeconomics/aggregate-supply-demand-topic
   Khan's AD/AS unit, including a lesson on how the AD/AS model incorporates growth, unemployment, and inflation — a second pass at today's diagram in a different voice.

▶️ Watch (≈12 min)

3. Marginal Revolution University — "Intro to Business Fluctuations"
   🔗 https://mru.org/courses/principles-economics-macroeconomics/introduction-business-cycle-fluctuations
   Sets up the AD curve, LRAS, and SRAS — MRU builds the same model OpenStax presents, useful as a second explanation of the same three curves.

🛠️ Tools for this week (links only)

4. Desmos Graphing Calculator — you'll graph the AD–AS anchor here in the Workshop.
   🔗 https://www.desmos.com/calculator
   Free, no account needed. Try graphing y = 20 - x/100 and y = 4 + x/100 together (x = Y, y = P) to see the equilibrium at (800, 12).

Why these earn the click: OpenStax Ch. 11 is the spine of today's AD–AS model, why AD slopes down, and the SRAS/LRAS distinction; Khan Academy gives the same model a second, differently-paced explanation; MRU walks through the same three curves from a third angle — three independent passes at the week's single hardest diagram; Desmos is your graphing tool for the Workshop.