The total cost function, denoted as $c(y)$, represents the total expenses incurred in producing a certain quantity of output, $y$. This total cost is typically broken down into two components:
The relationship is expressed as: $c(y) = TFC + TVC$
Given the cost function $c(y) = y^2 + 1$:
Average Variable Cost (AVC) is calculated by dividing the Total Variable Cost (TVC) by the quantity of output ($y$). The formula is:
$AVC = \frac{TVC}{y}$Substituting the TVC identified from the cost function:
$AVC = \frac{y^2}{y}$Simplifying the expression:
$AVC = y$Therefore, the Average Variable Cost (AVC) for the given cost function is $y$. This matches option 4.