frontpage.
newsnewestaskshowjobs

Made with ♥ by @iamnishanth

Open Source @Github

fp.

Open in hackernews

Teaching LLMs to compose math symbolically, not execute it

1•CheerfulDreamer•38m ago
Right now LLMs cannot be counted on to perfectly perform math. The solution I propose is to teach LLMs to instead of executing the math, just compose the mathematical equations correctly and leave the execution to a post-processing step.

My core method would be: Use a single special token ᶜ (U+1D9C) before each element that needs computation, and then compute the result afterwards. For known math that doesn't need to be computed the ᶜ is not added or present.

Thus we would see in the output:

Normal (already computed): 847 * 293 = 248171

Requesting computation: ᶜ847 ᶜ* ᶜ293 ᶜ= ᶜx

The Core Mechanic: Post-Process Computation

This is what makes everything work: Model generates output with ᶜ-marked expressions (fast, no blocking) Generation completes Parse all ᶜ-marked expressions Execute computations with perfect precision Substitute results back into the output Show user the final result with normal mathematical notation

The model never waits for computation results. It reasons symbolically with variables, and values are computed after generation is complete.

Multi-step example:

Model generates: "First, ᶜ847 ᶜ* ᶜ293 ᶜ= ᶜa, then ᶜa ᶜ+ ᶜ150 ᶜ= ᶜb. The answer is ᶜb."

Post-processing: - Execute: 847 * 293 = 248171 (bind to 'ᶜa') - Execute: 248171 + 150 = 248321 (bind to 'ᶜb') - Substitute: ...

User sees: "First, 847 * 293 = 248171, then 248171 + 150 = 248321. The answer is 248321." This is how the model can compose complex calculations without blocking - it's just manipulating symbols, and we handle execution separately.

Training Path 1: During Base Model Training

We augment the training set such that:

Instructional ("Calculate 847 × 293") → add ᶜ tokens Expository ("The result 847 × 293 = 248,171 shows...") → leave as-is

The model learns both patterns during pretraining. When it generates ᶜ-marked expressions during training, they get post-processed (executed and substituted) before computing the loss. The model learns that ᶜ notation leads to computed results.

Training Path 2: Fine-Tuning Existing Models

*If you already have a trained base model:*

1. *Add ᶜ token to vocabulary* 2. *Generate synthetic training data:* ``` Q: "What is 847 multiplied by 293?" A: "Let me calculate: ᶜ847 ᶜ* ᶜ293 ᶜ= ᶜx. The result is x."

Post-process: → "Let me calculate: 847 * 293 = 248171. The result is 248171."

Train on the post-processed version.

Loss and rewards:

High penalty: arithmetic errors without using ᶜ Small penalty: unnecessary ᶜ use (like for 2+2) Reward: correct ᶜ usage and accurate composition

The model learns: "I already know math notation from base training. Now I'm learning to mark computations with ᶜ and let the execution engine handle them."

Fine-tuning is faster since the model already understands mathematical notation - you're just teaching when to use the ᶜ pattern.

Why This Works Separation of concerns:

Model: mathematical composition, when to calculate, symbolic reasoning Execution engine: precise arithmetic, guaranteed correctness Post-processing is the key: The model never waits for results during generation. It composes symbolically, we compute separately. The model doesn't waste parameters learning that 847 × 293 = 248,171. It learns "multiplication is needed here" and delegates execution.

Extensions Same pattern for any deterministic operation:

Dates: ᶜdate_2023 ᶜ- ᶜdate_2022 ᶜ= ᶜdays

Counting: ᶜcount ᶜ( ᶜlist ᶜ) ᶜ= ᶜn

Memory: ᶜstore ᶜ( ᶜslot ᶜ, ᶜvalue ᶜ)

Public Domain Anyone may use, implement, modify, or build upon this approach for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without restriction. I specifically disclaim any patent rights and intend this publication to serve as prior art preventing future patent restrictions.

My goal is to help advance AI capabilities in a way that benefits everyone. All praise to Jesus and God who created this amazing universe for us to enjoy.

Show HN: I built TinyFocus – a tiny tool that makes you pick 3 tasks per day

https://tinyfoc.us/
1•arlindb•41s ago•0 comments

COP30 climate pledges favor unrealistic land-based carbon removal over cuts

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-cop30-climate-pledges-favor-unrealistic.html
1•PaulHoule•4m ago•0 comments

Show HN: Sunpeak – open-source MCP App SDK

https://github.com/Sunpeak-AI/sunpeak
1•abewheeler•5m ago•0 comments

The Trouble with Trump's Silicon Valley-Inspired Web Design Project

https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/silicon-valley-government-websites-national-design-studio
1•everybodyknows•7m ago•0 comments

Real AI Agents and Real Work

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/real-ai-agents-and-real-work
1•mooreds•7m ago•0 comments

Minecraft creator's forgotten 2011 game, rewritten in TypeScript for the web

https://angelo-lima.fr/en/prelude-of-the-chambered-reborn-typescript-web-port/
1•llingelo•7m ago•1 comments

anarchy.html

https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/global-networks/Scenarios/anarchy.html
1•lr0•8m ago•0 comments

Google Starts Sharing All Your Text Messages with Your Employer

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/11/30/google-starts-sharing-all-your-text-messages-w...
4•toomanyrichies•8m ago•0 comments

Microsoft Teams Starts Telling Your Company If You're Not at Work

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/10/25/microsoft-teams-starts-telling-your-company-if...
3•toomanyrichies•8m ago•0 comments

Ask HN: Are there any business monopolies that you like?

1•NewUser76312•10m ago•2 comments

An Agentic Alternative to GraphRAG

https://contextual.ai/blog/an-agentic-alternative-to-graphrag
1•sheshansh•10m ago•0 comments

Positive Lexicography: an index of 'untranslatable' words related to wellbeing

https://hifisamurai.github.io/lexicography/
1•herbertl•11m ago•0 comments

Scientists find a hidden obesity trigger in soybean oil – ScienceDaily

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129044503.htm
2•bilsbie•13m ago•0 comments

Eli Lilly cuts Zepbound price to widen access for obesity drug

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eli-lilly-cuts-zepbound-price-widen-a...
2•Anon84•13m ago•0 comments

.emacs Bankruptcy

https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/DotEmacsBankruptcy
1•gudzpoz•13m ago•0 comments

Platform Pricing – Why Apple can charge 30%, Airbnb only 15%?

https://www.wreflection.com/p/platform-pricing-comes-at-a-cost
1•nowflux•13m ago•1 comments

I built an app to donate to nonprofits while gaming

1•ovvgg•14m ago•0 comments

The Robots.txt of Chatgpt.com

https://ai-robots-txt.franzai.com/#domain=chatgpt.com
1•franze•14m ago•0 comments

Show HN: NetSnap – Comprehnsive JSON/Python net state snapshots

https://github.com/hcoin/netsnap
1•harrygc•15m ago•0 comments

Grokipedia Cited My Article 43 Times in One Post. Not Cool

https://tedium.co/2025/10/29/grokipedia-content-citations-aggressive/
1•shortformblog•15m ago•0 comments

Show HN: VoicePayOS: Authorize voice agents to pay on your behalf

https://github.com/OpenBotAuth/openbotauth-demos/blob/main/TAP_VOICE_DEMO.md
2•gauravguitara•16m ago•0 comments

Microsoft Teams will tell your boss when you're out of the office

https://mashable.com/article/microsoft-teams-will-tell-your-boss-when-you-are-out-of-office
2•robtherobber•16m ago•0 comments

Ask HN: Coding experience with Gemini 3 Pro

1•sottol•17m ago•1 comments

Canada clinches deal to join Europe's €150B defense scheme

https://www.politico.eu/article/canada-clinches-deal-to-join-europes-e150b-defense-scheme/
2•saubeidl•17m ago•1 comments

GitHub now lets you batch apply review suggestions in one commit

https://mainbranch.beehiiv.com/p/main-branch-the-one-where-code-reviews-got-actually-better-issue-3
3•andreag11•18m ago•0 comments

Splintered Failure Modes in Go

https://rednafi.com/go/splintered-failure-modes/
1•linhns•18m ago•0 comments

AnalyzerFinance

1•HarryAnalyzer•20m ago•2 comments

All about Automotive Lidar

https://mainstreetautonomy.com/blog/2025-08-29-all-about-automotive-lidar/
2•dllu•20m ago•0 comments

Show HN: Visual Proof of Pythagoras' Theorem

https://do-say-go.github.io/insights/others/interactive_perigals_pythagorean.html
1•keepamovin•22m ago•0 comments

India is ordering Apple and other phone makers to preinstall a state-owned app

https://www.theverge.com/news/834998/india-sanchar-saathi-app-order-apple-android
6•alsetmusic•25m ago•0 comments