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Equation 7 · Part 2 · How Verification Actually Works in a Claude Code Workflow

subscript

(1−rB)(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

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 max⁡(1−rA, 1−rB)\max(1-r_A,\ 1-r_B) : no better than the stronger of the two checks alone, and often worse in practice, because the second pass inherits the first pass’s blind spot along with its confidence.

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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.