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Equation 1 · Part 5 · The Economics, Energy, and Physical Limits of Claude Code and Agentic Development Tools

Symbol p_out

Ci=0.1 pin ci−1  +  1.25 pin Δi  +  pout oi,ci=ci−1+Δi.C_i = 0.1\,p_{\mathrm{in}}\,c_{i-1} \;+\; 1.25\,p_{\mathrm{in}}\,\Delta_i \;+\; p_{\mathrm{out}}\,o_i, \qquad c_i = c_{i-1} + \Delta_i.
poutp_{\mathrm{out}}

What this part means

pop_out is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.

Its job in the formula

pop_out is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.

The passage around this formula

Two structural consequences follow directly from that documented pricing, and they are analysis, not disclosure, since Anthropic states the multipliers but does not publish this derivation. Model a session as a sequence of turns. At turn i, the agent resends the accumulated transcript, c sub i-minus-one, as a cache read; adds a batch of new tokens, delta sub i, as a cache write, from a tool result or a newly opened file; and produces o sub i output tokens. Writing p-in and p-out for the base input and output prices, the billed cost of that turn is Ci=0.1 pin ci−1  +  1.25 pin Δi  +  pout oi,ci=ci−1+ΔiC_i = 0.1\,p_{\mathrm{in}}\,c_{i-1} \;+\; 1.25\,p_{\mathrm{in}}\,\Delta_i \;+\; p_{\mathrm{out}}\,o_i, \qquad c_i = c_{i-1} + \Delta_i. Summed across an N-turn session, the accumulated-context term is a triangular sum that grows in proportion to the square of…

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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.

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Sources cited in the surrounding passage

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