Equation 5 · Part 1 · Dense, Sparse, and Distilled: Comparing Approaches to Frontier Model Capacity
Symbol N_a
What this part means
the parameters actually used to process a given token.
Its job in the formula
is part of the quantity the equation computes from the expression on the right.
Full expression→Symbol N_a→Article meaning
Where the article explains it
Let N be total parameters, the parameters actually used to process a given token, D training tokens, and M the memory that must be resident to serve.
The passage around this formula
Fix the vocabulary first. Let N be total parameters, the parameters actually used to process a given token, D training tokens, and M the memory that must be resident to serve. For the dense decoder-only transformer that remains the default architecture [ 1 ] , = N and M N . Every method below breaks one of those two identities, and which one it breaks determines what it is good for.
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 →
See this notation across published equations →
Sources cited in the surrounding passage
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.