The periodic table is a great source of information, considering everything that exists is made from an element, but we often forget about it after school.
Seen some posts about it in the forum, but thought a pool of every ones ideas in one place would be good. Each persons’ interpretation of memorising it may help others.
I just finished reading ‘The periodic table, A field guide to the elements’ so over the weekend started to memorize them all, thought about remembering them as people in a lecture theatre, rejected that in the end. People mentioned putting groups into rooms and that is what I started, simply turning the periodic table sideways made me realise a tower is a natural building to the elements.
The noble elements can be at the top of the tower as they are least reactive and have little interest in the other elements while the alkali metals are at the bottom being most reactive, and most interested in the other elements in the tower. The small side tower containing two rooms for the Lanthanides and Actinides.
I found at buzzfeed and pinterest a list of 112 cartoon elements that could help some people, as that is the template I’m using for each element.
Top floor of tower,
I need to give stories to rooms and each element to remember, but am sure many people will have some other great ways of remembering the periodic table. This is my brief share and hope others can add to this.
I’ve started teaching memory course. When giving exercises to my students I typed it on Microsoft Office excel or word. Is there any websites (pdf, word, excel, etc) that you recommend I can find ready memory exercises for print to distribute to the students instead of me typing all the time?
It’s okay to print any of the output from the training scripts on this site for use in private courses or competitions. Just give credit to this website if you use them.
I prefer that they aren’t posted online or in publications without asking me first though. (The answer is typically “yes”.)
If you would like a custom script, I’m happy to create it if it isn’t too complicated and I’m not too busy at the time.
Thanks a lot Josh. You are doing your best on the memory revolution. I am giving credit and referring to your website for my students.
This works only if there is an internet (on line). I need this to work for me off line too (randomizing by pressing F5?). The random numbers and binary digit numbers, I can randomize them on excel but random words and playing cards become difficult for me to randomize on excel. I typed about 100 words/copy card images on one sheet and try to associate it in formula with another sheet. This works for numbers but can’t work for me with random words/playing card images.
Do you have easier way to use this? Sorry for my English.
The first experience I had with the mnemonics was actually learning the Periodic Table. I read a book that I got off of Amazon called Memorize the Periodic Table By Kyle Buchanan & Dean Roller. It wasn’t even 5 bucks for the Kindle Edition and well worth the money. I think they even have an audiobook of it if you’re not much of a reader. It took me a few hours to read it and really soak it in (it’s not that long) and maybe 2 days of on and off testing to where I felt like I could fly through the whole table with no errors. I waited a week and tested myself again with no errors, then a month later I still had it all in there rock solid. It blew my mind! It is a Story Method though, not a Loci, if that matters to you. The authors also included a pegging system to help navigate the table. Having been the first book I read on mnemonics it was incredibly helpful and mind-opening. I’ve also just found a guy on YouTube that’s illustrated the story, but I would still recommend reading/listening to the book.
This is only the first 10, the rest can be found on the guys YouTube.
