Why Money is Better Than Barter

Jonathan Jones
Sep 3, 2018 · 1 min read
Number of prices to keep in mind

For N prices, there are N² combinations.

N of them are a price of 1.0, since the price of a uniform good versus itself is 1.0.

Half of the remaining of the prices are simply the inverse of the opposite price along a diagonal axis.

The number of prices to keep in mind can be expressed as N²-N²/2-N/2, (N²-N)/2, or (N-1)(N/2).

If almost everyone uses money, the number of prices to track are just N-1, where N is the number of goods including the monetary good.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade