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Start at the Beginning?

You have entered this tutorial part way through. Click the Restart Tutorial button above to jump to the first page.

Please Use a Different Browser if Possible

This application may be broken or have performance problems and missing functionality on your current browser.

If you are using Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8, installing Google Chrome Frame is one solution.

Click Yellow Text Boxes (1, 2, 3, etc) to see Animations

Because you declined step-by-step narration, you'll need to activate animations manually.

(Note: not all numbered steps have animations.)

NOTE:

This visualizer does not yet show how sectors dynamically react to changes in flows by altering other flows!

For example, if GDP falls then other changes may occur that are NOT currently triggered in the visualizer:

  • Government spending typically rises (due to additional safety net payments).
  • Business investment typically falls (lower forecasted demand requires less capacity).
  • The savings rate often rises (if households save more as a precaution, or pay down debt faster).
  • Taxes may fall faster than a flat leakage % would predict (due to marginal tax bracket effects, etc).

Example: reducing government spending might not reduce the deficit, despite current appearances in this visualizer.

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Font Size Tip

The + and - buttons only increase the font size in the sidebar and above and below the diagram.

The diagram and text within it stretch to fit within the browser window, so make your browser window as large as possible. Tip: the shortcut for full screen is F11 on Windows.

Flow Animations Unfinished:

The flow animations currently only illustrate the macroeconomic circular flow concept in a general way. Limitations:

1. The magnitudes of the animated flows do not yet correspond to the magnitudes of the leakages and injections as controlled in the sidebar.

2. The inject once demo doesn't work properly yet, but it does let you see roughly how the core flow diminishes over time (lost to the leakages) when there are no ongoing injections.

What Next?

The step-by-step narration has completed playing for this page.

The yellow information boxes that were just read aloud sequentially now all appear on the diagram.

Choices of next action:

  • Click individual yellow text boxes with [?]s to see additional details in the right margin.
  • Read extra information in the right margin about the page's concepts, and view charts, etc.
  • Click the "Next >" button at the top of the page (or push right arrow on your keyboard) to progress to the next page.
  • Click the green Play button below to repeat sequential narration of this page.

Tip: Concepts

Hover over conceptual phrases highlighted in yellow to visually locate them in the diagram.

(temporarily hidden — click to expand)
Macroeconomic Circular Flow Visualizer (BETA)

Macroeconomic Circular Flow Visualizer — Try the Interactive Controls (BETA)

For a step-by-step introduction, visit How the Economy Works — A Visual Tutorial

Injections ($):

Leakages (%):


Derived Values:

Nominal GDP: (not inflation-adjusted)
Spending Multiplier: [?]

Animation Controls:

Inject Once:

More information...

Sorry, no extra details are available for the currently selected text box in the diagram.

Auto-narrate?
Audio:
Page Playback Control Bar
Hide text boxes during narration?
seconds delay between steps
NOTE: This tutorial is an evolving work in progress, but is open to visitors!

Use Voice Narration?

Recommended. Explains one thing at a time.

All page content visible at once. Less animation.