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Equation 5 · Part 2 · How Claude Code's Memory Actually Persists Across Sessions

subscript

TstartT_{\mathrm{start}}
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.

The passage around this formula

where MiM_i is the token count of the i -th memory file discovered along the walk from the filesystem root to the working directory, summed over however many, k , are found. Every term is committed before the developer types a word. The point is not the specific numbers; it is that TstartT_{\mathrm{start}} is arithmetic settled at launch, and every additional CLAUDE.md file anyone commits to a repository is a term someone chose to add to it, permanently, for the rest of that session.

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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

These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.