Equation 21 · Part 2 · Comparing Frontier Model Pricing Without Comparing Apples to Oranges
subscript
subscript
What this part means
The lower label selects a particular version, component, or indexed member of the quantity. For example, x₀ and xₜ can be values at different positions.
Its job in the formula
A subscript distinguishes a version, component, step, or member of a quantity. It does not automatically mean multiplication.
Full expression→subscript→Article meaning
The passage around this formula
Put the two halves of this article together and the honest instrument is neither “compare the sticker price” nor “trust the benchmark score” in isolation. It is: measure on your own workload, at your own cache-hit rate and your own reasoning-effort setting, against a capability bar you actually need cleared — and only then ask which vendor cleared it for less, on the date you checked.
Learn the underlying idea
A subscript is a label attached below a symbol. It often selects a time step, component, category, or member of a sequence.
Open the illustrated subscripts: which member of a family? guide →
Sources cited in the article section
- [8] Comparison of AI Models across Intelligence, Performance, and Price ↗
- [7] LLM Inference Price Trends ↗
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.