I'm in first-year business school, and am taking economics for the first time. I'm not too clear on what exactly a social surplus is? Can anyone explain using simple examples, just so that I may have this clarified? Thanks

Combined, the consumer surplus, the producer surplus, and the government surplus (if present) make up the social surplus or the total surplus.


See links below:
http://wilcoxen.cp.maxwell.syr.edu/pages/743.html

It is the total cost generated by the price set by the producer to the buyer(producer surplus), plus the price set by the buyer to the last consumer (consumer surplus). Social surplus therefore is sum of producer surplus plus consumer surplus.