I’m preparing for a competitive exam where I need to memorize a lots of topics of physics and mathematics so please guide me how to master our mind in journey of memorize things.
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You might be interested in these discussions: physics
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That depends on what you mean. If you need to memorize formulae, it might get pretty involved there. If you need to memorize concepts, then it’s the usual approach to memorizing speeches: quickly grasp the key points and put them into your memory palace, or a Link, or whatever else you use.
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I need to memorize both concept plus formulas so how to use memory palace for both ? Please explain me with some example if possible
A search with “formula” would give you lots of threads, for example Constructing my first memory palace: Learning all the physics formulas for the Physics GRE
You can also search for “verbatim” and/or “exam” and have plenty of people talking about the learning the verbatim part.
It’s hard to give better answers as long as you don’t tell what you have already tried (and what problems you have personally).
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I’ll give you a small example that I think will help you a lot, since it’s what I use and it has worked quite well for this task:
Take certain symbols and add them to categories such as quality (texture, color, etc.), or codes using the alphabet and the system of similarity of shapes. For example, + is similar to the shape of the letter t, etc. You can also create a table with the Latin alphabet, since it is often recurrent in mathematical formulas or mathematical notation.
Symbol: Images, actions, or effects
Addition: Acts of creativity or improvement.
Subtraction: Acts of destruction or disfigurement.
Multiplication: Substances of creation.
Division: Substances of destruction.
Derivative: Quality of creation.
Integral: Quality of destruction.
Exponent: Acts from above.
Root: Acts from below.
Parenthesis: Substances of containment or delimiting images.
Equality: Juxtaposed images that do not interact causally.
Delta: Triangular shapes.
Decimal: Emergency actions.
Consecutivity: Any elongated connection.
Credits for this system to: MKohain, thank you for your contributions.
With this, you can create a series of images based on it. It’s not necessary to memorize them all at once; just use them by observing the category. With practice, you’ll acquire them and be able to distinguish them. You can create your own based on your imaginative and creative logic, like colors, for example, which are based on the quality category. For instance, black for addition, red for subtraction, yellow for multiplication, etc. So, coal would be addition, an apple subtraction, and a mango multiplication.
You can create this however you like, then proceed to memorization. I have my own system for this, so I’ll give you an example to give you an idea of how you can do it:
- Bill Murray pierced by a spear
- To the right of Bill Murray, a cross erected in concrete
- A mountain of skulls
- A man from the ground lifts a baby whose head is adorned with an ark containing animals
- A lightning bolt disfigures ReK, and an eagle with a coa to his left
- Here I add a skull again as a quality, to denote that it is the division or that by which it is divided; NiRo riding an ostrich
Note in the example that I use fragmentation. With practice, you can memorize formulas on the spot, but this is with practice, like any mnemonic technique. You’ll notice its usefulness instantly, but without practice, you won’t be very fast… I haven’t practiced at speed with this either; I’m just memorizing using this as a guide. I don’t need speed per se, unless I need to demonstrate skills live, so don’t worry, you’ll be faster than the rest and with fewer reviews… I memorized many formulas in calculus and physics with this technique.
The images here correspond to the formula in my native language; this is just an example of the set of images that are often used. Many times, these images serve as a guide; afterward, I simply visit the place, and the formula comes to me without needing to see the images themselves. So don’t worry about perfect scenes. When I’m in the mood, I can make them poetic, but not always, as it requires a certain amount of creativity that consumes energy.
When writing them, avoid over-elaboration. Elaborating in writing is slower than in imagination, which is quick to develop, but describing with words is much slower.
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You are studying physics so you definitely have some understanding of it. First capitalize on it because it fosters context(which you will realize to be single most important thing that helps in memorizing) How to develop understanding? Constant exposure to material itself. It’s wise not to force understanding.
Physicists and engineers have better development of logic whether you realize or not. Many of these mnemonic techniques rely on that at the level you personalize them to your needs.
Use Method Of Loci or even just visualization sparsely in places you feel you could not retrieve like formulas or definitions.
I never suggest Mathematicians, engineers and Musicians to have heavy reliance on memory techniques because learning aspect of them in itself is a creative process. I enjoy 3:5 polyrhythms as musician as it frames my mind in that creative process of discovery and exploration. Almost all who extensively use memory techniques continue to do so because of this creative process. So both have the same engine you see.
When a physicist says I need a way to do something, they actually know how to do it effectively but search for some other shortcut lazying around. I remember my final year thesis completing just in a week before deadline.
Music, science or mathematics are too abstract and dry even for memory techniques if you do not have certain autonomy, exposure and understanding of it.
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Now I understood, thanks for your reply
