Trade off describes a negative mutual dependence of two aspects. A trade off is present if one can reach an improvement or an acquisition of an aspect only under acceptance of the degradation or loss of the other aspect. Earliest the term trade off in German with conflicting aims is described. In addition, trade off means compromise and reconciliation of conflicting aims.

In the economics trade off e.g. describes the mutual dependence on costs and quality. In order to attain a high quality, one must accept high costs. If one lowers the costs, also the quality sinks. Between these two characteristics exists thus a trade off, which one must again and again again decide in the concrete case.

The term plays also a role in the mathematical modelling of Lebensprozessen. For example there is trade off between growth rate and efficiency with the use of resources frequently. So a bacterium can grow either fast, whereby a possibly limiting component is only badly used, or slowly, however a maximum grows at can generate biomass from resources the available. Optimal using of resources is not therefore possible with maximum growth rate.

In biology the coexistence of different kinds at a location can be explained by a trade off of the characteristics. So for example the one kind can use resources (e.g. nutrients) better, is however more susceptibly to temperature extrema, the other kind is temperature-more tolerant, uses however nutrients less efficiently.

Articles in category "Trade off"

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• Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Carbon trade-off
  Carbon trade-off Oliver Balch considers the morality of industrialised countries buying greenhouse gas emission reductions from developing countries ...


• Trade-off - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  These trade-offs are ubiquitous in our idiomatic expressions, ... To get a desired economic good, it is necessary to trade off some other desired economic ...


• Trade-off - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  These trade-offs are ubiquitous in our idiomatic expressions, ... To get a desired economic good, it is necessary to trade off some other desired economic ...


• Trade-off: A Glossary of Political Economy Terms - Dr. Paul M. Johnson
  For example, when one is allocating (limited) funds, the trade-off usually involves reduced spending for some purposes in order to be able to spend more for ...