← All parts of this equation

Equation 4 · Part 9 · Standardising the Record: How Writing Became Evidence

Ending index or upper bound: n

Fn=∏i=1nfi,F_n = \prod_{i=1}^{n} f_i,
nn

What this part means

This label says where the repeated addition, multiplication, or accumulation stops. It sets the last term or end of the range.

Its job in the formula

n appears in the bound of this product. The bound states where the repeated operation starts, ends, or which values it includes.

The passage around this formula

It is tempting to model manuscript transmission as pure decay. If fif_i is the probability that generation i of a copy reproduces a given passage faithfully, then fidelity after n generations of independent copying is Fn=∏i=1nfiF_n = \prod_{i=1}^{n} f_i. which for any constant per-generation fidelity below one falls exponentially in n . The model is illustrative and its value lies in the assumption it exposes rather than in any number it produces. It assumes errors accumulate…

Read this part in the article →

Learn the underlying idea

Σ adds a collection of terms. Π multiplies them. The lower and upper labels tell you which terms belong to the collection.

Open the illustrated sums and products: repeat an operation over an index guide →

See this notation across published equations →

Sources cited in the article section

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