Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Production Functions: A Pedagogical Approach to the Theory of Production

This article presents a pedagogical approach to teaching microeconomic production theory using selected episodes from The Big Bang Theory. Centered on the fictional collaboration between Sheldon, Leonard, and Howard on a military innovation project, we formally model their cognitive contributions through production functions, including Cobb-Douglas, conditional, penalized, and Leontief forms. Each character is treated as a distinct intellectual input, illustrating key concepts such as input complementarity, diminishing marginal returns, structural bottlenecks, and imperfect substitution. Unlike prior uses of pop culture in economics education, which often focus on introductory content or informal analogies, this article integrates formal modeling, analytical rigor, and a structured instructional design. It includes a classroom-ready lesson plan, a curated video guide, and applied exercises, adaptable to intermediate microeconomics courses, especially in units on production theory or the theory of the firm. By embedding abstract concepts in a rich narrative context, the proposed approach enhances student engagement, deepens conceptual understanding, and demonstrates how fictional narratives can serve as powerful tools for rigorous economic instruction.

by Otávio Detoni

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Detoni, O. (2025). Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Production Functions: A Pedagogical Approach to the Theory of Production. Available online at Journal of Economics Teaching, DOI: 10.58311/jeconteach/5f76cb2417d0a8a30b1055567d9f775c78466eec

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