Why would a free market never operate at a quantity greater than the equilibrium quantity? hint: what would be required for a transaction to occur at that quantity?

This is because in a free market, the prices of goods and services are determined by market forces, and the price mechanism will always keep the market at equilibrium.

Explanation:

The free market is a market without government intervention, equilibrium price and quantity are determined by the interaction of the market forces, also called price mechanism , which Adams Smith referred to as the invisible hands in the market.

The free market cannot operate outside the equilibrium because, the market forces will always keep the market towards equilibrium. Even if equilibrium is distorted, as a result of any shock, the market forces will bring the market towards equilibrium all things being equal, except there is market failure.

a free market is a market in which prices of goods and services are set by demand and supply and are allowed to reach their point of equilibrium without government intervention

there are so many examples for that in different areas, like biology experiment carried out in our lab recently.

here's one link :

answer; /// the use of a bank credit card to make purchase;