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Equation 6 · Part 3 · Evaluating Trajectories, Not Answers

Symbol p^k

1−(1−p)kagainstpk.1 - (1-p)^k \qquad \text{against} \qquad p^k .
pkp^k

What this part means

pkp^k is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.

Its job in the formula

pkp^k is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.

The passage around this formula

The two quantities point in opposite directions as sampling increases. With per-attempt success probability p and independent attempts, compare 1−(1−p)kagainstpk1 - (1-p)^k \qquad \text{against} \qquad p^k . The first rises toward one; the second falls toward zero. They are computed from the same runs and answer entirely different questions, and reporting the first while the deployment depends on the second is the most common quiet misrepresentation in agent evaluation.

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Learn the underlying idea

An exponent tells how a base is used in multiplication. In x³, x is the base and 3 is the exponent: x³ = x × x × x.

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Sources cited in the article section

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