Tip2025-09-22#prompting

Temperature is a creativity dial, not a quality dial

Temperature reshapes the probability distribution before sampling. Low temperature sharpens it toward the most likely token; high temperature flattens it so unlikely tokens get a real chance.

So the dial controls variance, not intelligence. If a task has a correct answer, variance is your enemy and you want it near zero. If you want range and surprise, turn it up and sample several times.

Aha moment

Temperature changes variance, not intelligence. It widens the lottery; it does not improve the tickets.

Try this

Set temperature near zero for extraction and scoring, then raise it only when variety is the product.

Open NotesEntry JSON

Watch for

  • Creative settings used for factual extraction
  • One sampled answer treated as a stable result
  • Quality claims that ignore variance between runs