In the RHS senior class Civics and Economics, students are studying the Law of Diminishing Returns. The concept refers to the notion that as more unit of input is added to a production line, productivity increases up to a point. At some point though, the change in output generated by one more unit of input declines.

To illustrate this concept, two C & E classes of Ms. Kravitz and Mr. Remsen completed a paper chain activity in class.  Students graphed how each additional unit of input changed the total returns.

The activity was so engaging that the C-block students in Mr. Remsen’s class challenged those students of  Ms. Kravitz to a paper chain making competition. On Wednesday in the school lobby, the two classes were split into 4 groups. Each were  presented with different scenarios. Groups had a stack of scrap paper, three scissors and a roll of masking tape.

The first scenario allowed only 4 people per group to participate in the production. The second scenario allowed 6 people per group to participate, but students faced a government regulation of no paper or tape scraps left over; the leftovers would reduce the total length of their paper chain. The third scenario allowed 7 people to participate, but another government regulation was imposed: the links had to be between 1″ and 3″. In the end, students added up the total links from all three scenarios. One group from Ms. Kravitz, Team Domination, emerged with the most links and bragging rights. However, both classes debriefed the experience and saw how government imposed regulations can directly affect output.