ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Equation of exchange

The equation of exchange is like a formula that helps us understand how money works in our economy. It shows us how people use money to buy things, and how much money they have to buy things with. To understand it, let's use the equation of exchange: M*V = P*Q.

M stands for the amount of money (or "monetary base") in the economy. V stands for the number of times money is exchanged (or "velocity of money"). P stands for the price of goods or services, and Q stands for the number of goods or services (or "quantity of goods or services").

So, if you were to plug some numbers into this equation, it could look like this: $100*10 times = $40*50. This means that if there is $100 of money in an economy, and it is exchanged 10 times, then that same $100 can buy $40 worth of goods or services 50 times.

The equation of exchange helps us understand how money moves and works in our economy. It shows us how much we have to spend, and how much stuff costs, and how those things work together.
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