Consumer Choice: Utility Maximization Simulator

This simulator renders the core diagram of microeconomic consumer theory in 3D. A Cobb-Douglas utility surface U(x,y) = x^α·y^(1-α) rises over the plane of possible bundles of two goods, X and Y. Sliders for the price of each good, total income and the preference weight α redraw the surface, the budget line p_xx + p_yy = I, and the indifference curve through the utility-maximizing bundle in real time. The orange curve traces achievable utility along the budget line itself — its peak is the consumer's optimum, exactly where the blue indifference curve sits tangent to the budget line, which is exactly where the marginal rate of substitution equals the price ratio p_x/p_y.