---
title: "Substitutes — AP Microeconomics Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Substitutes are goods used in place of each other, shown by a positive cross-price elasticity of demand. Tested in AP Micro Topic 2.5 alongside complements."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-micro/key-terms/substitutes"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Microeconomics"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# Substitutes — AP Microeconomics Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

In AP Microeconomics, substitutes are goods that can be used in place of one another, identified by a positive cross-price elasticity of demand: when the price of one good rises, the quantity demanded of the other good rises too (Topic 2.5, Unit 2).

## What It Is

Substitutes are goods that do roughly the same job for a consumer, so when one gets pricier, people switch to the other. Think Coke and Pepsi, or butter and margarine. If Pepsi's [price](/ap-micro/unit-2/supply/study-guide/6Q4OmUPc9RVRr9R7JmFS "fv-autolink") jumps, some buyers jump ship to Coke, and [demand](/ap-micro/unit-2/demand/study-guide/225JkWV3Tu5Hq3oyAChc "fv-autolink") for Coke rises even though nothing about Coke itself changed.

On the AP exam, the official test for substitutes is [cross-price elasticity of demand](/ap-micro/key-terms/cross-price-elasticity-of-demand "fv-autolink"): the percentage change in quantity demanded of one good divided by the percentage change in the price of another good (EK 2.5.A). If that number is **positive**, the goods are substitutes. The sign is the whole story. Price of A up, quantity of B up means both changes move in the same direction, so the ratio comes out positive. A bigger positive number means the goods are closer substitutes, which also makes demand for each one more price-elastic, since buyers have an easy escape route.

## Why It Matters

Substitutes live in Topic 2.5 (Other Elasticities) in [Unit 2](/ap-micro/unit-2 "fv-autolink"): Supply and Demand. Learning objective [AP Micro](/ap-micro "fv-autolink") 2.5.A asks you to define cross-price elasticity and use it to classify goods as substitutes or complements, 2.5.C asks you to calculate it from a table or graph, and 2.5.B connects elasticity to total revenue. Substitutes also do quiet work all over the course. The availability of close substitutes is the biggest driver of price elasticity of demand (Topic 2.3), and a change in the price of a substitute is one of the determinants that shifts an entire demand curve (Topic 2.1). So this one term links the shifter logic of early Unit 2 to the elasticity math of later Unit 2.

## Connections

### [Cross-Price Elasticity of Demand (Unit 2)](/ap-micro/key-terms/cross-price-elasticity-of-demand)

This is the tool that proves two goods are substitutes. You don't get to just assert that Coke and Pepsi compete. You compute %ΔQd of good B over %ΔP of good A, and a positive answer is your evidence.

### [Complements (Unit 2)](/ap-micro/key-terms/complements)

[Complements](/ap-micro/key-terms/complements "fv-autolink") are the mirror image. They're consumed together (peanut butter and jelly), so their cross-price elasticity is negative. Substitutes and complements are really one concept with two signs, and the exam loves testing whether you know which sign means which.

### [Income Elasticity of Demand (Unit 2)](/ap-micro/key-terms/income-elasticity-of-demand)

Same Topic 2.5 playbook, different determinant. Income elasticity's sign sorts goods into normal versus inferior, just like [cross-price elasticity](/ap-micro/key-terms/cross-price-elasticity "fv-autolink")'s sign sorts goods into substitutes versus complements. Learn the pattern once and you've got both.

### Price Elasticity of Demand and Total Revenue (Unit 2)

Goods with many close substitutes have elastic demand, because buyers can easily switch away. That's why a [firm](/ap-micro/key-terms/firm "fv-autolink") selling a product with few substitutes loses less total revenue when it raises prices, a setup that shows up in elasticity practice questions.

## On the AP Exam

Substitutes are mostly an MCQ concept, and the questions come in two flavors. Sign-interpretation questions hand you a cross-price elasticity and ask what it means, like "if two goods have a positive cross-price elasticity, what kind of goods are they?" (answer: substitutes). Calculation questions give you the percentage changes, like a 10% increase in the price of product A causing a 15% decrease in quantity demanded of product B, and ask for the cross-price elasticity (-15/10 = -1.5, which is negative, so those goods are actually complements). You may also see substitutes hiding inside elasticity-and-revenue questions, since a firm facing few substitutes can raise prices with a smaller percentage drop in total revenue. On FRQs, substitute logic supports demand-shift reasoning. If a stimulus tells you the price of a related good changed, you need to identify whether it's a substitute or complement to know which way demand shifts.

## substitutes vs Complements

Both terms describe how two goods are related, but they point in opposite directions. Substitutes replace each other, so a price increase in one raises demand for the other, giving a positive cross-price elasticity. Complements are used together, so a price increase in one lowers demand for the other, giving a negative cross-price elasticity. The fastest check on exam day is the sign of the cross-price elasticity, not your gut feeling about the products.

## Key Takeaways

- Substitutes are goods consumers use in place of one another, like Coke and Pepsi or butter and margarine.
- A positive cross-price elasticity of demand is the official proof that two goods are substitutes; a negative value means they are complements.
- Cross-price elasticity is calculated as the percentage change in quantity demanded of one good divided by the percentage change in the price of another good.
- The larger the positive cross-price elasticity, the closer the substitutes, and goods with many close substitutes have more elastic demand.
- A rise in the price of a substitute shifts the demand curve for the other good to the right, so this term links elasticity (Topic 2.5) back to demand shifters (Topic 2.1).
- A firm whose product has few close substitutes faces less elastic demand and loses less total revenue when it raises prices.

## FAQs

### What are substitutes in AP Microeconomics?

Substitutes are goods that can be used in place of one another, like tea and coffee. They're identified by a positive cross-price elasticity of demand, which is covered in Topic 2.5 of Unit 2.

### Does a negative cross-price elasticity mean two goods are substitutes?

No. A negative cross-price elasticity means the goods are complements, used together. Substitutes always have a positive cross-price elasticity, because a price increase in one good pushes buyers toward the other.

### How are substitutes different from complements?

Substitutes replace each other (Coke and Pepsi), so cross-price elasticity is positive. Complements are consumed together (hot dogs and buns), so cross-price elasticity is negative. On the exam, check the sign of the cross-price elasticity instead of guessing.

### How do I calculate whether two goods are substitutes?

Divide the percentage change in quantity demanded of one good by the percentage change in the price of the other good. For example, if a 10% price increase for good A causes a 5% increase in quantity demanded for good B, the cross-price elasticity is +0.5, so they're substitutes.

### Do substitutes shift the demand curve or cause movement along it?

A change in the price of a substitute shifts the entire demand curve for the other good. If Pepsi's price rises, the demand curve for Coke shifts right. Movement along a curve only happens when a good's own price changes.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.5 Other Elasticities](/ap-micro/unit-2/other-elasticities/study-guide/6ozj5y47OvVKtCAIdv97)

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