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Equation 5 · Part 5 · How Verification Actually Works in a Claude Code Workflow

subscript

Pmiss=(1−rA)(1−rB)P_{miss} = (1-r_A)(1-r_B)
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

Say check A independently has recall rAr_A against a real defect — the fraction of the time it would catch that class of problem if it ran — and check B has recall rBr_B . If the two checks fail for unrelated reasons, the chance a defect slips past both is the product of the chances it slips past each: Pmiss=(1−rA)(1−rB)P_{miss} = (1-r_A)(1-r_B). which is smaller than either (1-rAr_A) or (1-rBr_B) alone: real, additive protection. But if the two checks share a failure mode — most obviously, if the “second check” is the same model re-reading its own output inside the same context, primed by the same reasoning that produced the mistake — their misses stop being independent, and the joint miss probability climbs back toward…

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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.