Equation 26 · Part 2 · The Economics and Physical Limits of Running AI Agents at Scale
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
A retry is not a second, independent request. It is the same step, re-attempted, and because a step’s cost is — a function of how much history has already accumulated by step i — a retry at step one hundred costs roughly as much as step one hundred did the first time, not as much as step one. This is easy to miss if retries are budgeted as a flat percentage overhead on an average request cost, because the average request in a long loop is far cheaper than a late one.
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.