> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://anthropic-training.neuroscale.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lab: Context vs no context

> Five minutes. Same question with and without context. Compare quality and cost.

Same question. Two desks. One has almost nothing on it. The other has a short brief. You will feel the quality jump, and you will see why context also costs more every turn it stays in the thread.

Plan for about **5 minutes**. Use a fresh chat for each run. Keep research off.

<div className="lab-brief" aria-label="Lab overview: three parts">
  <div className="lab-brief__part"><span>Run A</span><p>No context, just the question</p><i>1 min</i></div>
  <div className="lab-brief__part"><span>Run B</span><p>Same question with a short brief</p><i>2 min</i></div>
  <div className="lab-brief__part"><span>Compare</span><p>Quality, usefulness, and cost feel</p><i>2 min</i></div>
</div>

## The question

You are asking Claude about a fictional strip center, **Cedar Ridge Commons**. Do not change the ask between runs.

<Prompt description="The shared question — use this exact ask both times" icon="message" actions={["copy"]}>
  Should we renew the MediPlus Pharmacy lease early, or wait?

  Give me a recommendation in 6 bullets max.
</Prompt>

## Run A — no context

1. Open a **new chat**.
2. Do not attach files. Do not paste a brief.
3. Send the shared question.
4. Skim the reply. Note what Claude invented or left vague.

You should see a generic answer. It has to guess, because the desk is empty.

## Run B — short context

Stay in a **second new chat**. Paste this brief first, then send the same question.

<Prompt description="Run B — paste this brief, then the shared question" icon="file-lines" actions={["copy"]}>
  Context for Cedar Ridge Commons (fictional training data):

  * Anchor: MediPlus Pharmacy, 12,400 SF, current rent \$29.50 / SF NNN
  * Lease end: 16 months
  * Tenant ask: early 5-year renewal at \$31.00 / SF, 3 months free rent, pharmacy exclusive
  * Tenant will not share sales; store manager says “sales are fine”
  * Center occupancy: 96%
  * Competing interest: regional clinic would take the box at $33.50 / SF if pharmacy vacates, with ~6 months downtime and $40 / SF TI
  * Loan refinance window in 20 months; lender cares about NOI stability

  Should we renew the MediPlus Pharmacy lease early, or wait?

  Give me a recommendation in 6 bullets max.
</Prompt>

Now the answer should mention withheld sales, the clinic alternative, and the refinance window. That is context doing the work, not clever wording.

## Compare in 60 seconds

Fill this quickly with your facilitator:

| Check | Run A (no context) | Run B (short brief) |
| - | - | - |
| Mentions real options (renew / wait / dual track) | | |
| Uses the clinic alternative | | |
| Flags missing sales data | | |
| Feels IC-usable with light edits | | |
| Felt “heavier” / more usage for the same ask | | |

### What to notice about cost

* Run B is better because you paid to put facts in view.
* Those facts stay in the thread. Every follow-up re-reads them.
* That is the trade: **context buys quality, then burns again on every later turn**.

So the habit is not “always paste more.” It is:

1. Paste the smallest brief that changes the answer.
2. Park standing facts in a Project when you will reuse them.
3. Start a fresh chat when the old brief is no longer earning its re-read cost.

<div className="ways-rule" aria-label="Context cost takeaway">
  <p><strong>No context</strong> is cheap and vague.</p>
  <p><strong>Right-sized context</strong> costs more once, then pays you in better answers.</p>
  <p><strong>Leftover context</strong> keeps charging you after it stopped helping.</p>
</div>

## Flight card

<div className="lab-card" aria-label="Lab completion checklist">
  <label><input type="checkbox" /> <span>Ran the shared question with no context</span></label>
  <label><input type="checkbox" /> <span>Ran the same question with the short brief</span></label>
  <label><input type="checkbox" /> <span>Marked which run was actually usable</span></label>
  <label><input type="checkbox" /> <span>Said out loud why leftover context still costs money</span></label>
</div>


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