Equation 1 · Part 13 · The Unit Economics of a Token
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
Instrument each request to record five quantities: new input tokens, cache-write tokens, cache-read tokens, visible output tokens, and reasoning tokens. The cost of a single request is then . where n , w , r , y and z are the five counts in that order and each p is the corresponding published rate. The important feature is the last term: visible output and reasoning share one price, and the reasoning count is the only one of the five you cannot recover by inspecting what came back.
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.