Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Farah Mohammeds article, Why Are Diamonds More Expensive Than Water? (Links to an external site.), as well as Chapter 5 in your textbook, especially Sections 5.1 and 5.3, and respond to the following:

Describe the relationship between total utility and marginal utility.
Explain if marginal utility can be negative.
Examine the diamond-water paradox. Why are diamonds more expensive than water?
Evaluate the law of diminishing marginal utility.
Identify some items, explaining your reasoning, that do not follow the law of diminishing marginal utility.
Evaluate how the law of diminishing marginal utility can explain the diamond-water paradox.

The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility paper

Must be three to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers APA Style resource (Links to an external site.).
Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper
Students name
Course name and number
Instructors name
Date submitted

For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.

For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.

Must use at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or other credible sources in addition to the course text.

The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers Citing Within Your Paper guide (Links to an external site.).
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.