48 PONTIFICIAE ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARVM SCRIPTA VARIA - 98 The constant optimal path made possible by the initial ca- pital stock z,=2(p) is found to be an asymptote for the optimal paths associated with other values- of z,. (I) For all z, with 0<z,=Z, the unique optimal path (X,, Z,) is uniquely characterized by the two conditions (2) lim 2:=2(p), T=00 (B) the prices (21), (22) implicit in the path (X,, Z,) satisfy the differential equation a, 7 JJ a g,+p,=0 for all =o. To interpret condition (B), let (x, z,) be a path which dif- fers from the optimal path only slightly and only on a short open interval IJ, on which 2,>2%, (see Figure 9 a). Then x, will differ from #, first because the slightly higher capital stock on J allows a slightly higher product, and secondly because acceleration of investment during the first part of J and de- celeration during the second part leads to some postponement of consumption within J. In the light of (21), (22), the con- dition says that, for an arbitrarily small difference z,- 2, of arbitrarily short duration, the utility effects of these two com- ponents of x,- x, must cancel if the path (£, 2,) is to be optimal. If condition (8) of Proposition (I) is satisfied, the inequality between the first and third members of (25) becomes — ~ x, — pl Pe t ay) dt — PrlEr -- 21, ÉO . r.] Koopmans - pag. 24