Scratchpads: How small notes help language models think step by step
Ever see a computer get stuck on long math or a long set of steps? Researchers found a simple trick: ask the model to write out a little notebook while it works.
When the system writes each step, it gets much better at solving long problems, even with just a few examples.
This notebook, called a scratchpad, helps the model keep track of intermediate computations so it doesn't forget or jumble numbers.
Saying things step by step makes hard tasks feel smaller, and the model can finish tasks that it used to fail.
The change is surprising because these systems were already good at one-shot tasks like quick text, but struggled with chains of steps.
With a scratchpad they solves longer additions and can even run short programs more reliably.
It's like showing your work in class — not just the answer but the path there.
This idea could make smart tools more reliable for everyday tasks, and it invite new ways to teach machines to think clearer.
Read article comprehensive review in Paperium.net:
Show Your Work: Scratchpads for Intermediate Computation with Language Models
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