Equation 21 · Part 2 · Why Cost and Latency Belong in the Evaluation Score, Not a Footnote
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
This is a legitimate way to rank agents, and it is what most procurement decisions ultimately have to do. But writing it out this explicitly makes the hidden step visible: the ranking that comes out depends entirely on and , numbers that are not properties of the agents at all. A call center with razor-thin per-ticket margins and a research lab doing one-off due-diligence work on a handful of contracts will set at wildly different values, and the two will reasonably reach opposite conclusions about which agent to deploy, from identical measured data. A leaderboard that publishes a single blended score has made this choice for every reader, usually without saying…
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.