How I memorized 200 digits of pi

Memory Training Journals
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As per a request, I will share you my journey how I memorized the first 200 digits of pi.

First of all I searched about mnemonics.
Since a child, I have been a visual learner, so I looked for a way to memorize numbers with images or a story I could see and memorize.

After a little research I found this website:

I read it in german.

There were numbers and for each number an image.
I memorized all 00-99 images with numbers.

That time I was only a beginner and it was the first time I have ever seen memory techniques or mnemonics.

I searched for pi and chose to memorize the first 12 digits.
I wrote them down and split them into several numbers.

I began with 2 digits and used the major system in order to turn numbers into images.

After that, I memorized the next 2 digits, and the next and so on.

After 12 digits I memorized the whole story and linked them together.

Several days later, I told a friend about memory techniques and he was curious.
He wanted to test me, and after I recited the first 12 digits, he forced me to a challenge.
“If you could memorize 200 digits, I will buy you a Döner (food in Germany) for free.” (he said that with sarcasm)

So, went home and thought about that.
How the heaven do I memorize 200 digits of pi?

Then, I got an idea.

I wrote all 200 digits of pi on a letter (don’t have it anymore, or I think I don’t have it anymore ;() and split them into a lot of pieces.

Piece after piece I have turned numbers into images and memorized a story that linked to the last story.
I recited it dozens of times.

After that, to make sure I could memorize all digits without fail, I recited them again and again, so that I can’t forget them even if I want to


Also, I want to say that, I was completely new to mnemonics and used them for the first time.

The idea to write that post came from @tusharvjoshi

Thank you for reading this post and I hope to see you next time.

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Good job on memorizing that many :slight_smile:

Few questions from a teaching perspective, as I read in your introduction that you are eager to learn.

Looking back, what would you do different if you had to do it over with all you know and master now?

If I told you to memorize 1000 digits, how would you tackle this large leap from 200 to 1000?

And an additional difficulty. If you were to not see or recall any numbers for a month, would you expect to know all 200? How about all 1000 from the last question?

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First of all, thank you.
I appreciate your comment.

To the questions.

With the knowledge I now have, I would build a memory palace and magnetize the images and the story there.

On top of that, I would memorize a peg list to memorize the position or the number of the digit.
If you would ask me to tell you what the 136th digit is, I couldn’t tell.

To memorize the digits from 200 till 1000, I would do the same procedure.
Memory Palace (but now expand it), stick the stories (and images) there and link all that digits with a peg for the position.

With the knowledge I now have, I could, even after a year, with little hesitation and thinking time memorize all digits.

With my first method, when I was a beginner, I memorized them, with a bit thinking time, correctly after a year.

I didn’t memorize 1000 digits yet, but that would be a great challenge!

Yours faithfully.

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@mercy
If someone asks me that what is the 6th digit of
π ?
Then what is the real answer .
Example - 3.1415926

If we count from 3 then answer is 2
And when we count from decimal then answer is 6

What is the correct answer to this?

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I’d call it generally accepted rather than correct answer. People that would ask that kind of question would usually refer to “the 6th digit” after the decimal point.

See point 2 here: http://pi-world-ranking-list.com/index.php?page=rules

  1. Anyone who wishes to enter a previous performance may do so, provided he/she also follows the rules. The minimum number of digits is 20. IMPORTANT - Accuracy / number of digits: these are only the decimal places, NOT the leading 3.
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@bjoern.gumboldt
But in art of memory , in pi memorizing 3 is included.
You can see here

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You might wanna talk to @Josh about that, because next to the official world records linked above
 the pi matrix challenge also ONLY considers the digits after the decimal point: http://www.worldpifederation.org/Pi%20Matrix.html

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First of all Raja,

There wouldn’t be a ‘correct’ answer. This lies in the view of the person what would be the correct answer.
If you want to count from 3, then the answer would be 2. If you want to count from 1, then the answer would be 6.

I would count from the first decimal place what the digit 1 would be.

Yours Sincerely

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Pie, I wish I could remember pi,
“Eureka!” cried the great inventor,
Christmas pudding, Christmas pie,
Is the problem’s very center.

The above poem gives you the first 21 numbers of pi (number of letters = number; pie = 3, I = 1, wish = 4).

To make this method even more effective you might also use “words” from your 2/3 digit memory system; that means those words can’t be used as “normal” words (in which the number of letters = number). So basically this will be a hybrid method.

The biggest problem with such a system is obviously the actual making of the poems, but I think that problem can be solved with the help of not so difficult to make computer programs. Keep in mind that the poem I gave as an example doesn’t make much sense and the crucial memory friendly elements are rhyming and rythm/structure.

I imagine that IT specialist will also have some compressing magic tricks, that will make the system even better.

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You can start on the 3 or the 1. I start on the 3, but there’s no significant difference. If someone asks you for the nth digit and you’ve started at a different place, just add or subtract 1. :slight_smile:

My first images for pi are a butterfly (3) drops a stone (.) on an otter (14).

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Congrats! Thats a great feat :slight_smile: Best of luck!

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