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SRHT Corrected-Math Verification (Stress Test "In All Angles")

Verifier stance: rigorous applied mathematics, adversarial, no flattery. The object under

test is the corrected equation set from SRHT_MATH_AUDIT.md §4.5, not the original paper.

Where the correction holds, this says so with the algebra; where it fails or is merely cosmetic,

this says that plainly.

Compute status (read first). The isolated Linux sandbox (numpy/sympy) was **unavailable at

verification time** (Workspace unavailable ... VM service not running). Therefore:

labeled *analytical*.

marked # NEEDS EXECUTION. No numerical experimental table in this document is machine-verified;

predicted outcomes are labeled *predicted (analytical)*.

Nothing here is reported as a machine-checked number. This is stated up front so the reader never

mistakes an analytical prediction for an empirical result.

---

0. The corrected equation set under test (verbatim from AUDIT §4.5)

$$

\begin{aligned}

\rho &= \frac{|A|}{d} &&\text{progress scalar (cross-depth priority only, NOT intra-layer rank)}\\

R &= 1-\frac{\lVert V\rVert - V_{\min}}{V_{\max}-V_{\min}+\epsilon} &&\text{rank/spread resonance, }\epsilon>0\\

\chi &= \operatorname{clip}_{[0,1]}\!\big(v(p)/v_{\max}\big) &&\text{continuous, constraint-bound contradiction}\\

g(R) &= \frac{R^2}{2-R} &&\text{resonance term}\\

\hat C &= g(R)\,(1-\chi)^2 &&\text{normalized commit readiness}\\

P &= \hat C = g(R)\,(1-\chi)^2 &&\text{single gate (no double-count, no "Born" label)}\\

X &= \chi\,(1-R) &&\text{contradiction pressure}\\

\text{prune}&\;\text{if}\; X>\theta\,X_{\max}\ \text{or}\ P<\varepsilon &&\theta\in[0,1],\ \varepsilon\sim10^{-12}\text{–}10^{-8}

\end{aligned}

$$

with $X_{\max}=0.99$ retained from the original gate calibration (or, consistently with the new

$R$, recomputed below).

---

1. WELL-FORMEDNESS (domain, range, edge cases, singularities, monotonicity)

1.1 Rank-based resonance $R$

Let $s = V_{\max}-V_{\min}\ge 0$ be the sibling cost spread, $\epsilon>0$. For any candidate with

norm $\lVert V\rVert\in[V_{\min},V_{\max}]$:

$$R \;=\; 1-\frac{\lVert V\rVert - V_{\min}}{s+\epsilon}.$$

Domain. Defined for all finite inputs because $s+\epsilon\ge\epsilon>0$ — the denominator

never vanishes. This is the central well-formedness win over the original $1-\lVert V\rVert/\mathrm{GS}$

(which is undefined at $\mathrm{GS}=0$). *Analytical, no singularity.*

Range. The fraction $\frac{\lVert V\rVert-V_{\min}}{s+\epsilon}$ ranges over

$\big[0,\ \frac{s}{s+\epsilon}\big]$.

So $R\in\big(0,\,1\big]$: the upper end $R=1$ is attained; the lower end is bounded **strictly

above $0$** by $R_{\min}=\frac{\epsilon}{s+\epsilon}>0$. The $\epsilon$ floor thus replaces the

original hand-set $0.01$ floor and makes it *emergent and principled* (it is exactly the resonance

the worst sibling retains).

Edge case — degenerate equal-cost set ($s=0$). Every sibling has the same norm, so

$\lVert V\rVert-V_{\min}=0$ for all, giving $R=1$ for all. *Correct and non-singular*: when all

costs tie, resonance carries no information and the ranking falls entirely to $\chi$ — exactly the

desired behavior. Without $\epsilon$ this case would be $0/0$; $\epsilon$ is load-bearing here,

not cosmetic.

Edge case — singleton candidate set ($V_{\max}=V_{\min}$, one node). Same as $s=0$: $R=1$.

Well-defined.

Edge case — empty candidate set. $V_{\min},V_{\max}$ undefined. This is **outside the

operator's domain**; the *search driver* must guard it (return: dead layer). Flag: the AUDIT does

not state this guard. Minor, but it is a genuine undefined-input hole at the algorithm boundary.

Monotonicity. $\partial R/\partial\lVert V\rVert = -1/(s+\epsilon)<0$: $R$ strictly decreases in

own cost (good — lower cost = higher resonance). *Analytical.*

Caveat that matters (set-dependence). $R$ now depends on $V_{\min},V_{\max}$ of the **current

candidate set, so adding/removing a candidate re-scales every other candidate's $R$**. $R$ is

no longer a per-node intrinsic; it is a *within-set rank coordinate*. This is fine for intra-layer

ranking (the only place it is used) but means $R$ (hence $\hat C$, $X$) is **not comparable across

layers or instances** unless $V_{\min},V_{\max}$ are fixed reference values. The AUDIT's claim that

$\hat C$ is "instance-comparable" (§4.1) is therefore **only true if $R$ uses fixed reference

bounds**, not the rolling set min/max. *This is a real inconsistency inside the corrected set,

documented in §2(a) below.*

1.2 Resonance term $g(R)=R^2/(2-R)$

Domain/Range. On $R\in(0,1]$: $2-R\in[1,2)$, so $g$ is defined and finite; no pole (the

pole at $R=2$ is outside the domain). $g(0^+)\to 0^+$, $g(1)=1/1=1$. Hence $g\in(0,1]$.

*Computed-by-hand:* $g(1)=1$; at the emergent floor with $\epsilon=10^{-9}, s=1$,

$R_{\min}=10^{-9}$, $g\approx(10^{-9})^2/2\approx5\times10^{-19}$ — vanishingly small but positive.

Monotonicity (re-derived independently). Quotient rule:

$$g'(R)=\frac{2R(2-R)-R^2(-1)}{(2-R)^2}=\frac{4R-2R^2+R^2}{(2-R)^2}=\frac{4R-R^2}{(2-R)^2}=\frac{R(4-R)}{(2-R)^2}.$$

On $R\in(0,1]$: $R>0$, $(4-R)>0$, $(2-R)^2>0\Rightarrow g'(R)>0$ strictly. $g$ is strictly

increasing, hence injective, on the domain. *Analytical — confirms AUDIT §2.2.*

Continuity. $g$ is rational with nonzero denominator on the domain → $C^\infty$. No jumps.

On the $1/(2-R)$ factor. Over $(0,1]$, $1/(2-R)\in(0.5,1]$ — varies by $\le 2\times$, while

$R^2$ varies by $\to 0\dots1$. The AUDIT's "near-cosmetic" verdict is confirmed: dropping it

(using $g=R^2$) changes the *magnitude* of $g$ by at most a factor of 2 and, crucially, **does not

change the sign of $g'$ ($\frac{d}{dR}R^2=2R>0$), so it cannot change any ranking**. It is a

free, harmless shaping term. *Analytical.*

1.3 Contradiction $\chi=\operatorname{clip}_{[0,1]}(v/v_{\max})$

Domain/Range. $v\ge 0$ (a count/severity), $v_{\max}>0$. Raw $v/v_{\max}\in[0,\infty)$; the clip

forces $\chi\in[0,1]$. No singularity provided $v_{\max}>0$ (must be guaranteed — if $v_{\max}=0$

the map is $0/0$; the driver must set $v_{\max}\ge1$). Flag: AUDIT does not state $v_{\max}>0$ guard.

Edge cases. $v=0\Rightarrow\chi=0$ (fully valid). $v\ge v_{\max}\Rightarrow\chi=1$ (saturated

violation). Continuous and monotone non-decreasing in $v$ on the unclipped region; flat (=1) past

saturation. Loss of resolution above $v_{\max}$: two branches with $v=v_{\max}$ and $v=3v_{\max}$

both get $\chi=1$ — the gate cannot distinguish "bad" from "much worse." For pruning this is

acceptable (both are killed); for *ranking among survivors* it is a mild blind spot. *Analytical.*

1.4 Normalized commit readiness $\hat C=g(R)(1-\chi)^2$ — proof that $\hat C\in[0,1]$

Both factors are bounded:

$$g(R)\in(0,1]\quad(\S1.2),\qquad (1-\chi)^2\in[0,1]\ \text{since}\ \chi\in[0,1]\Rightarrow(1-\chi)\in[0,1].$$

Product of a value in $(0,1]$ and a value in $[0,1]$ lies in $[0,1]$. Therefore

$$\boxed{\hat C\in[0,1].}$$

(best-cost, fully-valid). *Computed-by-hand:* $1\cdot1=1$.

Also $\hat C\to 0$ as $R\to 0^+$. Both attained/approached correctly.

Continuity/monotonicity of $\hat C$. $\hat C$ is $C^\infty$ in $(R,\chi)$ on $(0,1]\times[0,1]$.

$\partial\hat C/\partial R=g'(R)(1-\chi)^2\ge0$ (>0 unless $\chi=1$); $\partial\hat C/\partial\chi=

-2(1-\chi)g(R)\le0$ (<0 unless $\chi=1$ or $R\to0$). So $\hat C$ rises with resonance, falls with

contradiction — the intended shape, with no reversals. *Analytical.*

1.5 Contradiction pressure $X=\chi(1-R)$ and the prune gates

Range with the new $R$. $\chi\in[0,1]$, and $R\in(0,1]\Rightarrow(1-R)\in[0,1)$. So

$X\in[0,1)$. The supremum $X\to 1$ is approached as $\chi\to1,R\to0^+$ but not attained (since

$R>0$). With the emergent floor $R_{\min}=\epsilon/(s+\epsilon)$, the actual max is

$X_{\max}=1\cdot(1-R_{\min})=\frac{s}{s+\epsilon}<1$.

> Inconsistency flag. The AUDIT §4.5 keeps "$X_{\max}=0.99$," which was derived from the *old*

> floor $R=0.01$ giving $X_{\max}=1\cdot(1-0.01)=0.99$. Under the new rank-based $R$ the floor

> is $\epsilon/(s+\epsilon)$, not $0.01$, so $X_{\max}=s/(s+\epsilon)$, which $\to1$ as

> $\epsilon\to0$. Carrying the old $0.99$ into the new formulation is an internal mismatch. The

> correct, self-consistent gate is $X>\theta\cdot X_{\max}$ with $X_{\max}=\max_{\text{set}}X$

> computed live, or simply $X>\theta$ with $\theta\in[0,1)$ since $X$ is already in $[0,1)$.

> *This is a genuine residual hole the "correction" introduced by mixing old and new pieces.*

Prune gate well-formedness. With $\hat C=P\in[0,1]$, the floor $P<\varepsilon$ with

$\varepsilon\sim10^{-12}$–$10^{-8}$ is interpretable as "effectively zero survival" — sound.

The $X$-gate is sound once $X_{\max}$ is made consistent (above).

Redundancy of the two gates (new observation). Because $P=\hat C=g(R)(1-\chi)^2$ and

$X=\chi(1-R)$, both gates are functions of the same $(R,\chi)$. A branch with $\chi\to1$ has

$P\to0$ (caught by the $\varepsilon$ floor) *and* $X\to(1-R)$ (caught by the $\theta$ gate). The two

gates therefore overlap heavily near $\chi=1$. They are not identical (the $X$ gate also fires

for moderate $\chi$ + low $R$, where $P$ may still exceed $\varepsilon$), but the AUDIT's stated aim

of a *"single honest gate"* is only partially achieved: there are still two gates with

correlated firing regions. Not wrong, but not the clean single gate the summary advertises.

*Analytical.*

1.6 Well-formedness verdict

| Operator | Domain OK? | Range | Singularity | Monotone | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $R$ (rank) | yes ($\epsilon>0$) except empty set | $(0,1]$ | none | $\downarrow$ in own cost | Sound; set-dependent (see §2a) |
| $g(R)$ | yes | $(0,1]$ | none (pole at $R{=}2$ outside) | $\uparrow$ strict | Sound; $1/(2{-}R)$ cosmetic |
| $\chi$ | yes if $v_{\max}>0$ | $[0,1]$ | none | $\uparrow$ then flat | Sound; saturates above $v_{\max}$ |
| $\hat C=P$ | yes | $[0,1]$ proven | none | $\uparrow R$, $\downarrow\chi$ | Sound and normalized |
| $X$ | yes | $[0,1)$ | none | — | Sound but $X_{\max}=0.99$ stale |
| prune | — | — | — | — | Two overlapping gates, not one |

Net: the corrected set is well-formed and $\hat C\in[0,1]$ is proven. Two residual defects:

(i) $X_{\max}=0.99$ is inconsistent with the new $R$ floor; (ii) the "single gate" claim is

overstated (two correlated gates remain). Both are minor and fixable.

---

2. DOES THE CORRECTION ACTUALLY FIX THE HOLES?

(a) Does normalization remove arbitrary $\tau/\rho$ scaling without losing ranking power?

Yes for ranking power; partially for cross-comparability.

so removing it from the *score* changes no intra-layer ranking — zero loss. It only ever moved

the absolute $P<10^{-10}$ floor; with normalized $\hat C\in[0,1]$ the floor is now a stated numeric

$\varepsilon$. Hole genuinely fixed. *Analytical (invariance of sort under positive scaling).*

moving it out of the sort is lossless for intra-layer ranking. Keeping it as a cross-depth

priority is the right home. Fixed.

So "normalized and instance-comparable" is only half-true: it is *bounded* in $[0,1]$ (true) but

not *calibrated* across sets (false, with rolling min/max). Partial fix. To get true

comparability one must use fixed reference bounds in $R$ — at which point the old GS-misestimation

fragility returns in a milder form. There is an honest tension here, not a free lunch.

(b) Is $\chi$ still double-counted, or now single-gated?

Single-gated in $P$; partially single-gated overall. The original double/triple-count was:

$(1-\chi)^2$ inside $C$, times $\cos(\chi\pi/2)$ in $P$, plus $\chi$ inside $X$. The

correction sets $P=\hat C=g(R)(1-\chi)^2$ — the $\cos$ factor is gone, so the

$(1-\chi)^2\cdot\cos$ double-count in the score is genuinely eliminated. *Confirmed.*

However $\chi$ still appears in both $P$ (via $(1-\chi)^2$) and $X$ (the prune gate). That is

defensible — a score term and a hard gate are different objects — but it means $\chi$ still drives

two mechanisms. Per §1.5 their firing regions overlap. So: **double-count in the score: fixed;

"single honest gate" overall: overstated.** *Analytical.*

(c) Under MONOTONIC cost ($R,\chi$ functions of cost only): is corrected $\hat C$ STILL redundant with sort-by-cost?

**YES. The correction does not and cannot remove this — and that is mathematically inherent. State

it honestly.**

Suppose $R=R(d)$ strictly decreasing and $\chi=\chi(d)$ non-decreasing, both functions of the single

scalar cost $d$ (no independent constraint). Then

$$\hat C(d)=g\!\big(R(d)\big)\,\big(1-\chi(d)\big)^2.$$

On any interval where $\chi$ is constant: $\frac{d\hat C}{dd}=g'(R)\,R'(d)\,(1-\chi)^2$. We have

$g'(R)>0$ (§1.2), $(1-\chi)^2\ge0$, and $R'(d)<0$, so $\frac{d\hat C}{dd}\le0$, strict where

$\chi<1$. Where $\chi$ jumps up, $(1-\chi)^2$ jumps down, so $\hat C$ jumps down. Hence

$\hat C(d)$ is (weakly, and strictly where alive) decreasing in $d$ — exactly as in AUDIT §2.

Therefore

$$d(p_1)<d(p_2)\ \Longrightarrow\ \hat C(p_1)\ge \hat C(p_2),$$

and the top-$k$ beam slice by $\hat C$ equals the top-$k$ slice by ascending $d$. **The corrected

score is still order-equivalent to sort-by-cost in the monotonic regime.** *Analytical.*

This is inherent, not a defect of the correction: *any* score that is a monotone function of a

single optimized scalar is order-equivalent to that scalar (a strictly monotone reparametrization

preserves order — elementary). No amount of normalization changes order. The rank-based $R$ actually

makes this even more transparent: with $R=1-\text{rank-fraction}(d)$, $g(R)$ is literally a

monotone function of the cost-rank, so sorting by $g(R)$ *is* sorting by cost. **Redundancy in the

monotonic regime is a theorem, and the correction correctly leaves it intact rather than hiding it.**

(d) Under CONSTRAINT-BOUND $\chi$ (independent of cost): does the corrected form PRESERVE the non-monotone guidance that beats greedy beam?

YES — proven below. This is the one regime where SRHT does real work, and the correction keeps it.

Let $\chi=\chi_{\text{struct}}(p)$ depend on a structural predicate independent of $d$. Take two

siblings at comparable depth:

The corrected score prefers the valid, longer $p_A$ over the shorter, invalid $p_B$ iff

$$\hat C_A>\hat C_B \iff g(R_A)\cdot 1 > g(R_B)\,(1-\chi_B)^2 \iff (1-\chi_B)^2 < \frac{g(R_A)}{g(R_B)}.$$

Since $g(R_A)/g(R_B)\in(0,1)$ (because $R_A<R_B$), there is a finite contradiction threshold

$$\chi_B^\star = 1-\sqrt{\frac{g(R_A)}{g(R_B)}}\in(0,1)$$

above which the valid-but-longer branch wins. For siblings at comparable depth $g(R_A)/g(R_B)$ is

near $1$, so $\chi_B^\star$ is small — even a mild continuous violation flips the order. With the

continuous $\chi$ this is a *smooth* trade-off (no $81{:}1$ cliff): the more $p_B$ violates, the

more cost penalty it must overcome. This is strictly non-monotone in $d$ (a shorter branch ranked

below a longer one), which pure-$d$ sorting cannot reproduce, hence **cannot be replicated by any

same-width beam ranking on cost alone.** *Analytical — preserves AUDIT §3 and CRITIQUE §3.*

The correction improves §3, it does not weaken it: the original used hard steps giving a fixed

$81{:}1$ cliff; the continuous $\chi$ yields a *graded* threshold $\chi_B^\star$ that adapts to the

cost gap $g(R_A)/g(R_B)$. That is a genuine refinement (smoother, fewer magic numbers) of a

mechanism that was already correct.

Verdict on §2: Holes (a)$\tau/\rho$ and (b)$\chi$-double-count-in-score are genuinely fixed.

The monotonic redundancy (c) is correctly left intact as inherent and now more transparent. The

constraint-bound contribution (d) is preserved and refined. Residual: cross-instance

comparability is only partial (a), and "single gate" is overstated (b).

---

3. APPLICABILITY ACROSS EVERY PROBLEM IT IS EQUATED TO / COULD EQUATE TO

Governing principle (the one rule that decides everything):

> SRHT's $\chi$-gate does work **iff validity/constraint-violation is NOT a monotone function of the

> optimized cost** (it carries information the cost ranking does not). When validity ≡ cost (or a

> monotone function of it), SRHT collapses to sort-by-cost (§2c) and is redundant.

Bucket A = "validity independent of cost" → SRHT can help.

Bucket B = "validity ≡ cost / monotone in cost" → SRHT redundant.

| Problem | cost | constraint $\chi$ | Independent of cost? | SRHT mechanism | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSP, plain (min tour length only) | tour length | none / "too long" | No — only signal is length | collapses to sort-by-length | Redundant (B) |
| TSP + self-intersection (claimed) | length | # segment crossings | Yes — a short tour can cross; a long one needn't | demotes short-but-crossing below long-but-clean | Works (A) — the canonical demo, §2d |
| SVP / lattice (claimed) | $\lVert V\rVert$ | "norm vs GS/Minkowski bound" | No as written — the bound is a monotone function of the norm itself | $\chi(\lVert V\rVert)$ monotone → redundant | Mostly redundant (B). *Partial (A)* only if $\chi$ is bound to a norm-independent structural defect (e.g. GS-coefficient / size-reduction condition not implied by current norm). As written in the paper, redundant. |
| 3-SAT / boolean SAT | weak/none | # unsatisfied clauses | Yes — there is essentially no "cost," validity is everything | $\chi$ = unsat fraction is the *entire* signal; $g(R)$ near-flat | Natural fit, but degenerate (A). SRHT *reduces to a clause-violation-guided beam*; the $g(R)$ machinery adds little because there is no meaningful cost. It works, but it is "SRHT with the resonance term switched off" = standard min-conflicts/penalty search. |
| Graph coloring | #colors (weak) | # monochromatic edges | Yes | $\chi$ = conflict count independent of color-count objective | Works (A), same caveat as SAT (cost weak). |
| Bin packing | #bins | capacity overflow (hard) | overflow is hard-infeasible, not graded vs cost | $\chi$ as overflow severity is somewhat independent | Partial (A). Helps if overflow severity is graded and not implied by bin count; otherwise the feasibility constraint is better handled by a hard filter. |
| Job scheduling | makespan | precedence/resource violations | Yes — a short schedule can violate precedence | $\chi$ = violation count independent of makespan | Works (A). Good fit; classic constrained search. |
| KAI language decoding (intended) | token improbability | grammar/logic-rule violations | Yes — a high-prob token can be ungrammatical | $\chi$ bound to parser rules; $R$ = likelihood progress | Works (A) — the strongest legitimate fit. A locally likely token can be globally invalid, exactly like a short-but-crossing segment. This is the on-mission, decisive, cheap test (HARDENING §5). |
| Pure likelihood decoding (no rule check) | token improbability | "low prob = contradiction" | No — $\chi$ from log-prob is monotone in cost | reproduces the redundancy bug | Redundant (B). Explicitly the failure mode HARDENING §5 warns against. |

Classification summary.

constrained decoding, (degenerately) 3-SAT/CSP where cost is weak and validity is everything.

likelihood decoding, any setup where $\chi$ is computed from the cost.

presented is in B** (the Minkowski/GS gate is a function of the norm being minimized, so $\chi$ is

monotone in cost → redundant). The SVP claim is therefore not supported by the SRHT mechanism

unless re-specified with a norm-independent structural constraint.

---

4. ROBUSTNESS / SENSITIVITY

4.1 $\theta$ (prune fraction)

beam, raising $\theta$ (more permissive) keeps more branches and monotonically weakens pruning

toward "plain wide beam"; lowering $\theta$ risks killing the valid-but-longer branch that is the

whole point. Predicted (analytical): a *plateau* of performance for moderate $\theta$

(roughly $0.5$–$0.9$ of $X_{\max}$) with degradation only at extremes. A sharp peak at $\theta=0.8$

would be a red flag for overfitting. Sensitivity: low in the interior, high near $\theta\to0$.

mis-scale; use live $X_{\max}$ or gate on raw $X>\theta$.

4.2 $\varepsilon$ (numeric floor)

essentially zero survival. Predicted: results invariant across these orders of magnitude

any branch with $\hat C$ in that range is already last in the beam and dropped by the slice anyway

(same argument as AUDIT §2.4). Sensitivity: negligible if the beam width is the binding

constraint. It becomes load-bearing only when the beam is so wide it never fills — rare.

4.3 What BREAKS the method

1. Constraints that correlate with cost. If $\operatorname{corr}(\chi, d)\to 1$, SRHT slides

from Bucket A into Bucket B and gracefully degrades to plain beam (no harm, no benefit). This

is the most important sensitivity: *the benefit is proportional to how cost-independent the

constraint is.* A partially correlated constraint gives partial benefit. **This is the single

axis that determines whether SRHT is worth running.**

2. Noisy constraint signal. If $v(p)$ is a noisy estimator of true violation, $\chi$ misranks

and can demote good branches — SRHT can then do worse than plain beam. The cosine/quadratic

gate's steepness amplifies noise near $\chi=1$. Robustness requires $v(p)$ to be an *exact* or

low-variance checker (e.g., a real parser, a real intersection test) — which is why the KAI

grammar-rule binding (exact checker) is the safest application and noisy heuristic constraints are

the most dangerous.

3. Very narrow beam. With width $1$ (greedy), SRHT still picks one branch by $\hat C$; the

anti-trap benefit needs width $\ge 2$ to *retain* the longer-valid branch alongside others. Too

narrow → benefit vanishes. Wide beam → benefit also shrinks because plain beam already keeps

many branches and may retain the valid one anyway. Predicted sweet spot: moderate width where

plain beam is forced to discard the valid-but-longer branch but SRHT rescues it. Sensitivity to

width is therefore non-monotone (peaks at intermediate widths).

4. $v_{\max}$ saturation (§1.3). If $v_{\max}$ is set too low, many branches saturate at $\chi=1$

and become indistinguishable (all pruned), over-pruning the layer; too high, and even bad branches

get small $\chi$, under-pruning. Moderate sensitivity — $v_{\max}$ is a real tuning surface the

AUDIT introduced and should itself be swept.

5. Stale $X_{\max}=0.99$ (§1.5) interacts with $\theta$ and can shift the effective gate; fix by

using a consistent $X_{\max}$.

4.4 Sensitivity verdict

The two *new* corrected thresholds ($\theta$, $\varepsilon$) are low-sensitivity (broad

plateaus predicted). The method's real fragility is not in those constants — it is in the

cost-independence and noise-freeness of the constraint signal and in beam width. Small

changes to $\theta,\varepsilon$ should not flip results; changes to *what $\chi$ measures* will.

---

5. EXECUTION

Status: NOT EXECUTED. The numpy/sympy sandbox was unavailable (VM service not running). The

three scripts below are complete and standalone; run with python <file>.py (needs numpy,

sympy). Expected outcomes are stated as *predicted (analytical)*, not results.

5.1 Symbolic range + monotonicity check # NEEDS EXECUTION

# srht_v_symbolic.py   # NEEDS EXECUTION (sandbox unavailable)
"""Verify: (1) g'(R)=R(4-R)/(2-R)^2>0 on (0,1]; (2) Chat in [0,1]; (3) rank-R range."""
import sympy as sp

R, chi, V, Vmin, Vmax, eps = sp.symbols('R chi V Vmin Vmax eps', positive=True)

# (1) g and g'
g  = R**2/(2-R)
gp = sp.simplify(sp.diff(g, R))
print("g'(R) simplified =", gp)                 # expect R*(4 - R)/(2 - R)**2
print("g'(R) factored   =", sp.factor(gp))
print("g'(0.5) =", float(gp.subs(R, sp.Rational(1,2))))  # >0
print("g(1)=", float(g.subs(R,1)), " g(0.01)=", float(g.subs(R,sp.Rational(1,100))))

# (2) Chat range: maximize/minimize g(R)*(1-chi)^2 over R in (0,1], chi in [0,1]
Chat = g*(1-chi)**2
print("Chat at R=1,chi=0 =", float(Chat.subs({R:1, chi:0})))   # expect 1
print("Chat at chi=1     =", sp.simplify(Chat.subs(chi,1)))     # expect 0
# monotone signs
print("dChat/dR sign factor =", sp.factor(sp.diff(Chat,R)))    # g'(R)*(1-chi)^2 >=0
print("dChat/dchi          =", sp.simplify(sp.diff(Chat,chi))) # -2(1-chi)g(R) <=0

# (3) rank-based R range
Rexpr = 1 - (V - Vmin)/(Vmax - Vmin + eps)
print("R at V=Vmin =", sp.simplify(Rexpr.subs(V,Vmin)))                 # 1
print("R at V=Vmax =", sp.simplify(Rexpr.subs(V,Vmax)))                 # eps/(Vmax-Vmin+eps)
# PREDICTED: g'(R)>0 everywhere on domain; Chat in [0,1]; R in (0,1].

Predicted (analytical): g'(R) = R*(4 - R)/(2 - R)**2; positive on $(0,1]$; Chat=1 at

$(R{=}1,\chi{=}0)$, $=0$ at $\chi{=}1$; R=1 at $V_{\min}$, $=\epsilon/(V_{\max}-V_{\min}+\epsilon)$

at $V_{\max}$. Matches §1.

5.2 TSP-with-intersection: corrected-SRHT vs plain beam # NEEDS EXECUTION

# srht_v_tsp.py   # NEEDS EXECUTION (sandbox unavailable)
"""Corrected operators (AUDIT 4.5): rank-based R, continuous chi from crossings,
Chat = g(R)*(1-chi)^2. Compare to plain beam (rank by cost). Many seeds, paired stats.
HONESTY: expect MIXED results; the claim is a statistically significant NET edge, NOT a sweep."""
import numpy as np
from itertools import combinations

def ccw(p,q,r): return (r[1]-p[1])*(q[0]-p[0]) > (q[1]-p[1])*(r[0]-p[0])
def seg_x(a,b,c,e): return ccw(a,c,e)!=ccw(b,c,e) and ccw(a,b,c)!=ccw(a,b,e)

def n_cross(path, pts):
    P=[pts[i] for i in path]; segs=list(zip(P[:-1],P[1:])); c=0
    for (i,(a,b)),(j,(cc,e)) in combinations(enumerate(segs),2):
        if j<=i+1: continue
        if seg_x(a,b,cc,e): c+=1
    return c

def cost(path, pts):
    P=np.array([pts[i] for i in path]); return float(np.sum(np.linalg.norm(np.diff(P,axis=0),axis=1)))

def g(R): return R*R/(2-R)

def beam(pts, width, use_gate, vmax=3, eps=1e-9):
    N=len(pts); beams=[[0]]
    for _ in range(N-1):
        cand=[p+[n] for p in beams for n in range(N) if n not in p]
        if not cand: break
        if not use_gate:
            cand.sort(key=lambda p: cost(p,pts))                      # plain beam
        else:
            cs=[cost(p,pts) for p in cand]; lo,hi=min(cs),max(cs)
            def score(p):
                c=cost(p,pts); R=1-(c-lo)/(hi-lo+eps)                 # rank-based R (4.3)
                chi=min(1.0, n_cross(p,pts)/vmax)                    # continuous chi (4.2)
                return g(R)*(1-chi)**2                               # Chat (4.1)
            cand.sort(key=score, reverse=True)
        beams=cand[:width]
    best=min(beams, key=lambda p: cost(p+[p[0]],pts))
    return cost(best+[best[0]],pts)

if __name__=="__main__":
    seeds=list(range(30)); rows=[]
    for W in (10,20,40):
        d=[]
        print(f"\n=== beam width {W} ===")
        print(f"{'seed':>4} {'plain':>9} {'srht':>9} {'diff':>8} win")
        for s in seeds:
            rng=np.random.default_rng(s); pts=rng.uniform(0,100,(20,2)).tolist()
            pb=beam(pts,W,False); sr=beam(pts,W,True); diff=pb-sr; d.append(diff)
            print(f"{s:>4} {pb:9.2f} {sr:9.2f} {diff:8.2f} {'SRHT' if sr<pb else 'plain' if pb<sr else 'tie'}")
        d=np.array(d)
        print(f"mean diff (plain-srht) = {d.mean():.3f} ; wins SRHT={np.sum(d>0)}/{len(d)} ; "
              f"wins plain={np.sum(d<0)}/{len(d)}")
        # paired Wilcoxon if scipy present:
        try:
            from scipy.stats import wilcoxon
            if np.any(d!=0): print("Wilcoxon p =", wilcoxon(d).pvalue)
        except Exception as e: print("scipy unavailable:", e)
    # PREDICTED: SRHT wins a MAJORITY but not all seeds at moderate width (20);
    #            edge SHRINKS at width 40 (plain beam already keeps valid branch);
    #            net mean diff > 0, ideally Wilcoxon p<0.05. A clean sweep would be suspicious.

Predicted (analytical): net positive mean (plain − srht) at width 20, mixed per-seed, edge

shrinking as width grows (§4.3 #3). A clean 30/30 sweep would indicate a bug or a rigged setup,

not success. Honest success = significant net edge under the paired test.

5.3 3-SAT / CSP: constraint-bound pruning demo # NEEDS EXECUTION

# srht_v_sat.py   # NEEDS EXECUTION (sandbox unavailable)
"""Random 3-SAT. chi = fraction of clauses currently violated by the partial assignment
(constraint-bound, independent of any 'cost'). Compare:
  (i) plain DFS/beam by #assigned (no constraint awareness)
  (ii) SRHT-gated beam ranking partials by Chat with R from a weak progress proxy.
DEGENERATE-COST CASE: g(R) nearly flat, so SRHT ~ min-conflicts beam (expected)."""
import numpy as np

def make_3sat(n_vars, n_clauses, rng):
    cl=[]
    for _ in range(n_clauses):
        vs=rng.choice(n_vars, size=3, replace=False)
        cl.append([(int(v), bool(rng.integers(0,2))) for v in vs])
    return cl

def violated(clauses, assign):  # assign: dict var->bool (partial)
    v=0
    for c in clauses:
        decided=[ (assign[var]==val) for var,val in c if var in assign ]
        if decided and not any(decided) and len(decided)==3:  # fully assigned & all false
            v+=1
    return v

def g(R): return R*R/(2-R)

def srht_beam(clauses, n_vars, width, use_gate, eps=1e-9):
    beams=[{}]                       # list of partial assignments
    order=list(range(n_vars))
    for var in order:
        cand=[]
        for a in beams:
            for val in (False, True):
                b=dict(a); b[var]=val; cand.append(b)
        vmax=max(1,len(clauses))
        if not use_gate:
            cand.sort(key=lambda a: violated(clauses,a))             # min-conflicts
        else:
            viol=[violated(clauses,a) for a in cand]; lo,hi=min(viol),max(viol)
            def score(a):
                vv=violated(clauses,a)
                R=1-(vv-lo)/(hi-lo+eps)          # weak progress proxy (cost~conflicts: near-degenerate)
                chi=min(1.0, vv/vmax)            # constraint-bound chi
                return g(R)*(1-chi)**2
            cand.sort(key=score, reverse=True)
        beams=cand[:width]
    best=min(beams, key=lambda a: violated(clauses,a))
    return violated(clauses, best)

if __name__=="__main__":
    print(f"{'seed':>4} {'plain':>6} {'srht':>6} (violations remaining; lower=better)")
    for s in range(20):
        rng=np.random.default_rng(s)
        cl=make_3sat(20, 85, rng)     # ratio ~4.25 (hard region)
        p=srht_beam(cl,20,16,False); q=srht_beam(cl,20,16,True)
        print(f"{s:>4} {p:6d} {q:6d}")
    # PREDICTED: with cost==conflicts, R and chi are BOTH functions of the conflict count,
    # so this is the MONOTONIC-REDUNDANT regime (Bucket B): SRHT ~ min-conflicts beam,
    # results ~equal. To show a REAL SRHT win, chi must be bound to a DIFFERENT structural
    # signal than the ranked cost (Bucket A). This script HONESTLY shows the redundant case;
    # a genuine win requires decoupling chi from the cost proxy.

Predicted (analytical): because here both $R$ and $\chi$ derive from the *same* conflict count,

3-SAT-by-conflicts is the redundant (Bucket B) regime — SRHT $\approx$ min-conflicts beam,

roughly equal. A genuine SRHT advantage on SAT requires a cost signal distinct from the

constraint signal; pure SAT has none, which is exactly why SAT is a *degenerate* fit (§3). This

script is included to demonstrate the redundancy honestly, not to manufacture a win.

---

6. HONEST VERDICT

Where the corrected SRHT genuinely holds:

1. Well-formedness: $\hat C\in[0,1]$ is proven; $R\in(0,1]$, $g\in(0,1]$, $\chi\in[0,1]$,

no singularities (the rank-$R$ denominator never vanishes; the $g$ pole at $R{=}2$ is outside the

domain). Monotonicity and continuity are as desired. The $\epsilon$ floor is principled and

load-bearing (handles the equal-cost $0/0$ case).

2. Fixes that work: $\tau$ and $\rho$ removal from the score is lossless for ranking; the

$(1-\chi)^2\cdot\cos$ double-count in the score is eliminated; continuous $\chi$ removes the

$\{1.0,0.6,0.1\}$ magic steps and the $81{:}1$ cliff, replacing it with a graded threshold

$\chi^\star=1-\sqrt{g(R_A)/g(R_B)}$.

3. The core contribution survives (§2d): under cost-independent constraint-bound $\chi$, $\hat C$

is provably non-monotone in cost and can rank a valid-longer branch above an invalid-shorter

one — behavior no same-width cost-only beam can reproduce. This is real, and the correction

refines rather than weakens it.

Where it does NOT hold / remains weak:

1. Monotonic regime is still redundant — inherently (§2c). When $\chi,R$ are both functions of

cost, $\hat C$ is order-equivalent to sort-by-cost. The correction correctly leaves this intact;

it is a theorem, not a bug, but it means SRHT adds nothing whenever the constraint is a function

of the cost.

2. SVP-as-written is in the redundant bucket. The Minkowski/GS gate is a function of the norm

being minimized → $\chi$ monotone in cost → redundant. The paper's SVP claim is **not supported

by the SRHT mechanism** unless re-specified with a norm-*independent* structural constraint. The

crypto-breaking claim is entirely unsupported (correctly cut by HARDENING §2.2).

3. "Single honest gate" is overstated. Two gates ($P<\varepsilon$ and $X>\theta X_{\max}$)

remain, with overlapping firing regions; $\chi$ still drives both score and prune.

4. Internal inconsistency: $X_{\max}=0.99$ is stale under the new rank-based $R$ (true floor is

$\epsilon/(s+\epsilon)$); the gate should use a live/consistent $X_{\max}$ or gate on raw $X$.

5. "Instance-comparable $\hat C$" is only half-true: $\hat C$ is *bounded* in $[0,1]$ but, with

rolling set min/max in $R$, not calibrated across sets/layers/instances. True comparability

needs fixed reference bounds, which partially reintroduces the GS-misestimation fragility.

6. Real fragility is in the signal, not the constants: $\theta,\varepsilon$ are low-sensitivity

(broad plateaus predicted); the method breaks when the constraint correlates with cost (→

degrades to plain beam) or is noisy (→ can do worse than plain beam), and its benefit is

non-monotone in beam width (peaks at moderate width).

7. Unexecuted: all three experiments are # NEEDS EXECUTION; no empirical table here is

machine-verified. The original CRITIQUE's 3-seed winning sweep remains an unverified, likely

cherry-picked claim; the honest test is a significant net edge over many seeds with a paired

test.

Bottom line. The corrected math is internally sound and the normalization is correct: it

fixes the arbitrary-scaling and double-counting holes without losing ranking power, and it preserves

the one provably non-redundant mechanism (cost-independent constraint-bound $\chi$). It does not

turn SRHT into a universal solver: in any regime where validity is a function of the optimized cost

— including SVP as the paper specifies it — the corrected score is provably redundant with

sort-by-cost. SRHT is best understood, exactly as the Hardening Plan reframes it, as a

constraint-aware best-first search that helps only in Bucket A (validity independent of

cost), with KAI grammar-constrained decoding as its strongest legitimate application. Residual minor

defects ($X_{\max}$ staleness, two-gate overlap, partial comparability) are real but easily patched.


---

## 7. RESOLUTION (2026-06-19) — the three residual defects are patched

The three residual math defects flagged above have been **resolved in the canonical master
paper** (`SRHT_MASTER_PAPER.md`, §2.1–§2.5, §6.1, §6.3, §6.4). Summary of the fixes; full
proofs live in the master paper.

- **Defect #4 — stale $X_{\max}=0.99$ (this doc §1.5, §6.4). [RESOLVED, PROVEN]** Since
  $X=\chi(1-R)$ with $\chi\in[0,1]$ and $R\in(0,1]$, $X\in[0,1)$ **always**, regardless of $R$.
  The $X$-gate and its $X_{\max}$ scaling are **dropped entirely**; $X$ is retained only as a
  diagnostic. (Had a relative gate been kept, the self-consistent value would be
  $X_{\max}=1-R_{\min}=s/(s+\epsilon)$, not $0.99$.) See master §2.3.1.

- **Defect #3 — two correlated gates / "single honest gate" overstated (this doc §1.5, §2b,
  §6 #3). [RESOLVED, PROVEN]** The dual rule {$P<\varepsilon$ **or** $X>\theta X_{\max}$} is
  collapsed into **one** criterion: **prune iff $\hat C<\theta$**. A low $\hat C$ already
  captures both failure modes (high $\chi\Rightarrow(1-\chi)^2$ small; low $R\Rightarrow g(R)$
  small), so the $X$-gate is subsumed. Master §2.4 proves the consolidation is lossless: every
  branch the old pair pruned is pruned by $\hat C<\theta$ for an appropriate $\theta$, and the
  single floor introduces no spurious pruning. The "single honest gate" claim is now literally
  true. See master §2.3.2, §2.4.

- **Defect #5 — "instance-comparable $\hat C$" only half-true (this doc §1.1, §2a, §6 #5).
  [RESOLVED, honestly downgraded]** Claim corrected: $\hat C$ is **bounded in $[0,1]$ and
  rank-comparable WITHIN a layer/beam**, but **NOT calibrated across instances** (rolling
  set min/max in $R$ rescales every sibling when candidates change). Optional upgrade for true
  cross-instance comparability: **fixed reference bounds** in $R$ — explicitly noted to
  partially reintroduce GS/normalizer-misestimation fragility (no free lunch). See master
  §2.3.3.

**Preservation check (master §2.5). [PROVEN]** The patches touch only the prune rule and one
honesty downgrade, not the operators. Therefore: $\hat C\in[0,1]$ unchanged; **Theorem 2**
guidance crossover $\chi^\star=1-\sqrt{g(R_A)/g(R_B)}$ holds unchanged (it never used
$X$/$X_{\max}$; the valid-longer branch is still retained under the single gate); **Theorem 1**
redundancy unaffected (rests on $d\hat C/dd\le0$, a property of the score, not the gate).

**Explicitly NOT math defects (left as-is):**
- **#1 / #2 — Theorem 1 (monotonic redundancy) and SVP-redundancy.** Correct theorems
  (this doc §2c, §3). Inherent, deliberately left intact.
- **#6 — signal fragility** (constraint–cost correlation, noisy $\chi$, non-monotone benefit in
  beam width; this doc §4.3–§4.4). A **real inherent limitation** to document, not a defect.
- **#7 — experiments need execution.** All three scripts remain **[NEEDS EXECUTION]**; the
  numpy/sympy sandbox was unavailable at verification time. Pending empirical run.