Best memory technique for formulae

Which is the best technique for memorizing complex mathematical and physics formulae? Assume tons of square roots and square roots of square roots with a crazy upper half divided by a complex lower half. And what if we have a few of these to remember?

You might find these two threads useful: Anyone have tips to remember equations in short term. and Memorising Maths Formulas

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Thanks, Joe! I knew it had to be there somewhere!

As a graduate in Mathematics, who also studied Physics, the best advice I can give you is to think about why the formula is true.

  • Is there a simple derivation from another formula?
  • What do the terms mean? Do they combine in a similar way in other formulas?
  • Dimensional analysis (especially for Physics)
  • Is there a physical or geometric way to understand part of the formula? Maybe even a verbal way?

What I certainly dis-recommend (contrary to some advice on this forum) is to use pure mnemonics. Learning Mathematics and Physics is much, much more efficient when you try to understand them, rather than memorize them. Some memorization is inevitable, but I strongly recommend that you try to reduce this to its absolute minumum :slight_smile:

However, if your goal is to apply mnemonics to novel situations (rather than to efficiently learn Mathematics) then there are some cool ways that you can achieve that—on the links shared above and indeed elsewhere (I think there was a recent thread about this too but I don’t find it now).

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