Equation 4 · Part 1 · The Metabolism of Civilization: Energy to 2100
Symbol z_0
What this part means
is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Its job in the formula
is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Full expression→Symbol z_0→Article meaning
The passage around this formula
The formal relationship goes back to Theodore Wright’s 1936 observation that aircraft manufacturing labor hours fell as a power-law function of the number of airframes already built, and Way et al. build their entire forecasting method on a stochastic version of it, fitted to more than fifty technologies’ historical cost and production records [ 1 ] . Written in its cleanest form, cost c at cumulative production (experience) z relates to a reference cost at reference experience by:
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 →
See this notation across published equations →
Sources cited in the surrounding passage
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.