I’m looking to present to my university students a long series of numbers or other complex information and then teach them simple and powerful ways to remember this info almost instantly.
If you’re looking for ideas for a memory demonstration, there are some related threads here:
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What, exactly, is the question you’re asking?
If you’re looking for examples, pi probably offers the longest series of numbers you could ask for. (If you’re not teaching mathematics, it’s possible many of your students don’t even realize that pi extends beyond “3.14.”) My personal approach to pi (dropping the initial “3.,” is to memorize the numbers in groups of six, represented by three images based on the Major system, with the first image in each group being a person. For example, the grouping 653589 is John Lennon (65) on a mule (35) that is vaping (89). Each grouping of images is then stored in a memory palace or along a memory journey; for me, it’s the sidewalks surrounding my hometown public library. (I stopped with memorizing just 120 digits of pi.)
But perhaps a better demonstration would be to have the students call out 20-40 random numbers that are written on a board (out of your sight), which you then immediately recite back to them (because you were memorizing as you went along).
But, again, it would help to know what you’re specifically looking for here…
Bob
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So you already know how to do it then if you want to teach them how to do it? All you want from us are suggestions as what as what to memorize?
I’m asking because there was no question in your post… only the word “needed” in the subject line.
Depends on what’s relevant as far as the subject you’re teaching. Sure pi, why not… periodic table, etc. But if I’m an English major and you bored me with math, you’ll talk against a wall.
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Well, the “English major” equivalent of pi is probably going to be the works of Shakespeare. Or, if you really want a test, make it the works-to-date of Joyce Carol Oates! 
But I suggested pi specifically because the OP mentioned “a long series of numbers,” and pi is the longest series of numbers I could think of.
Bob
Bob: Thanks so much! Excellent information. Here’s exactly what I would like . . . In order to impress upon my students that they have a potentially great memory if they train it, I would like to teach them how to memorize something impressive like all the presidents in order or a 30-40 digit number by using a creative and memorable story. Thanks for your time!!!
So…what is it you’re needing from us? Just tell them how you’ve memorized (or would memorize) the presidents or a 40 digit number. I’m still not getting the “question” behind your post.
The only thing I can guess is that maybe you don’t use any memory techniques yourself, so you don’t have any direct experience from which to speak. But that raises a whole raft of new questions for me!
If you’re looking for a pre-fab model to use, I don’t think you can do any better than the memory journey Ed Cooke uses in his book, Remember, Remember, to memorize the presidents. (If you’re in the US and have mostly US-born students, you might be able to gloss over some of his associations for remembering certain names that will likely be very familiar to your students. Chances are, they’ll already have strong images for Washington, Lincoln, and the more recent presidents. Otherwise, his tips will be very useful.) What makes Cooke’s journey so useful for teaching/demonstration is that he uses a generic memory palace—an airport—that most people are going to be familiar with and can immediately relate to.
Bob
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Thanks, Bob! Let me give you an example of what I am looking.
I put this number on the board:
149,162,536,496,481
Then I ask my students how long it would take them to memorize this number. The most common answer is, “Forever.”
Then I tell them they are not lacking memory-ability, they are lacking memory-training.
I show them the strategy: TO BE CONTINUED.
Take the numbers one through nine and square each one of them in order and then you will remember the original number.
I am trying to impress upon them that they are not lacking ability — they lacking strategy.
Any other examples you can think of? Thanks for your interest!
More in the category party trick, I’d say. Might as well teach them mental math and ask them what 1\over{89} is
And ooooh, looky: there’s the Fibonacci sequence:
Now, unless you mean icebreaker and then have another hour in your presentation about things that are really related to memorization techniques; I don’t think you’re doing any of your students a favor.
The sequence you’ve mentioned before can be stored in two and a half locations using either a 2-digit PAO system or a 3-digit OO system. I mean 15 digits, and…
You need 20 digits to qualify for the pi world ranking list! Lots of high schools have students that can go easily past that every year on pi day. I almost wonder why you’d think, they’d tell you “forever”… you mentioned this was college level in your very first post, correct?
Most of the students think remembering it in a short period of time is impossible and if they had to memorize it, they would resort to rote memorization and it would take “forever.”
One of the biggest mistakes we make in our educational system is reachers tell students WHAT to study, but not HOW to study. For example, a teacher will assign you to memorize all the U.S. presidents, but never teach you a strategy for how to do it. I am looking for short, quick and impressive demonstrations where the students can experience how easy and how much fun using memory techniques can be.
Does anyone know a story for to memorize the presidents or a story that will help memorize all the U.S. state capitals. I’d like to teach a story and after you know the story — surprise! you just memorize this impressive amount of information. Thank you for your interest!
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Why do you wanna do it this way around? You should maybe show them how you’d take information and encode it yourself… rather than regurgitating pre-made stories that nobody knows where they come from.
That just makes you think “smart people” make up stories that you can use, but not that you could actually make them up yourself. Not really what you wanna show your students, is it?
By the way, if you do know that… how come you don’t have your own story for the presidents then?
Also, according to your post from 8 years ago… you already know how to do the presidents, so why ask for a story from us?
From the same post 8 years ago… why don’t you just show them that?
Good luck trying to convice your students that these techniques work or that they’re useful for them, you’ll be fighting against a lot of psychological barriers.
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I would find the Dominic O’Brien memory Journey exercise he makes us do in his audiobook. I didn’t have any experience with memory techniques and I had no problems whatsoever doing it. It was my Eureka moment. I’d get inspired and brainstorm with that along with other examples on the web where people are guided and they end up recalling every image, but images that can help them recall what they are learning at this very moment.
For numbers, I would try doing the above, but with images that remind us of numbers letter shaped like numbers that sound like numbers and you could easily have them memorized many numbers this way.
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If I was in University I would prefer to see a practical demonstration. i.e. Demonstrate memorizing a complicated mathematical formula; definition of a biology term; periodic table element, # electron, protons, dates/times of historical events, etc. If you could do this then I would be interested in pursuing the training otherwise it would be no different than the hypnotist we saw last week. And a week from now after seeing your demonstration I would still be able to recall what you demonstrated would prove to me that it works.
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See my previous post regarding Ed Cooke’s entertaining romp through an airport with the presidents.
Bob