Equation 12 · Part 2 · The Deployment Envelope: Small Models Where the Power Is Not
subscript
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.
Full expression→subscript→Article meaning
The passage around this formula
with mean power , tokens generated and sustained token rate r . Both and r are set by the thermal wall, and r falls as the device heats — so a long deliberation is charged at a worsening exchange rate the longer it runs, which is exactly the behaviour the sustained-load measurements show [ 6 , 5 ] . The remedy that works best in the cloud is the one the device can least afford. Any claim that a small model closes a reasoning gap by thinking longer needs to be checked against the device’s sustained rate, not its first-token rate.
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
- [19] Physics of Language Models: Part 3.3, Knowledge Capacity Scaling Laws ↗
- [15] Gemma 3 Technical Report ↗
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.