# The overlap-without-conflict control axis

Companion to `results/llm_epistasis/` (full analysis and league table there). Both children train on
the SAME ambiguous prompts with the SAME convention (asc/asc) — task overlap and added-data volume
identical to the conflict axis, with zero conflict. Result: merge penalty ≈ 0.005, geometry
predictors' apparent power collapses (delta_cos ρ +0.60 → +0.03 once these pairs enter the pool),
functional measures correctly stay low. The control that separated "detects incompatibility" from
"detects overlap".