In this classroom experiment, students develop a price index based on candy-purchasing decisions made by members of their class. They use their index to practice calculating inflation rates and to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the consumer price index (CPI). Instructors can use the...

According to Kennedy (2000), the difference between real and nominal interest rates constitutes the most important concept taught in macroeconomics courses. The classroom exercise described in this article demonstrates one way in which real and nominal interest rates differ, namely in their...