How Can You Memorize Efficiently Like Benoit Mandelbrot?

[Devil Moo]

As the title said, how do you memorize efficiently?
For example, knowledge on your interested fields.

 

[Vivan Vatsa]

As the title said, how do you memorize efficiently?
For example, knowledge on your interested fields.

My visual understanding is far more better than anyone in this world. I make a visual map in my mind( as I have ADHD). so it works..really!

 

[DS2C]

Fully understanding the concept, mneumonics (got it right this time), and repetition! Mindlessly repeating things is highly ineffective for me, and these things help me really lock them down.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Memorization is not very useful. It's more important to have an understanding of a concept, because most things can just be looked up later. In software development, I know what a language can and can't do, and understand all of the modern programming concepts, but I let my IDE or Google direct me to the names of constants or function parameters or the such. I used to memorize them just through repetition, but I'm not sure I can even do that any more. Memories are also unreliable.

 

[Mark44]

My visual understanding is far more better than anyone in this world.

I seriously doubt that.

mneumonics (got it right this time)

Nope -- it's mnemonic (pronounced ne mon' ic - the first m is silent). From the Greek μνημονικός (mnēmonikos). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic.

 

[Cheesycheese213]

For something that interests me, I tend to just read the same thing over and over again until I have it memorized and understood. Something else that I find useful is when you be that "did you know.." person and tell them about what you're trying to remember (though it can get annoying).

 

[BillTre]

I have at least three approaches:
1) understand the concept and recreate the details from there
2) visual memorization: good (for me) for things like anatomy and chemical pathways. I will for example draw the anatomy I want to learn and label it. I will then redraw (with labels) it from memory. When I can do that from memory, done. Depending on complexity, it can be pretty quick. It invokes both visual and hand movement memory. Some aspects of anatomy can be concept based, like histology (tissue structure based on its function and origin).
3) memorize lists using a method like #2

I don't like using mnemonics.

 

[vela]

Memorization is not very useful.

I disagree. I can think of numerous things students should memorize: the addition table; the multiplication table; definitions of sine, cosine, tangent; basic trig identities; the product rule and quotient rules in calculus; etc.

 

[paulo84]

- Make notes (with a pen) summarizing in terms that I can easily understand what has been taught me.
- Repeat things 4 times.

 

[Devil Moo]

Will you make a tree diagram and state the relationship between the equations or concepts?

 

[paulo84]

Will you make a tree diagram and state the relationship between the equations or concepts?

That sounds like it could be very useful.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

A few things I find quite helpful, this is generally for memorizing a text:

- When reading ask a lot of questions and write them down. Then go through and figure out/research the answer to the questions.
- On key points or when reviewing notes read out loud.There have been studies that show reading out loud is good for memory but I tend to do it to force concentration. It's easy to let your mind wander and read a page without taking it in, less so when you have to talk.
- Explain your understanding of what you're trying to learn to an imaginary figure. This is a great way to highlight to yourself what you're not sure on. Bonus points if you imagine a stereotypical whiney student who won't stop asking "but whyyyy"

 

[rbelli1]

Memorization is not very useful.

Google however is!

BoB

 

[DaveC426913]

It depends on what you are memorizing.

When I need to understand a concept such as calculus or functions, I end up picking up the shape in my head, and performing the operations on the shape, so that I see the numbers changing and the object changing as one. I have to build such a mental model to understand it.

When I need to remember disparate facts, such as remembering the ten things I have to do tomorrow, but I'm lying in bed, I use a mnemonic:
1 bun
2 shoe
3 tree
4 door
5 hive
etc.

So,
1: pick up the laundry: a bun, soaking wet in a pile of clothes
2: buy some WD40: a squeaky shoe that needs lubricating
3: call mom: a "family" tree
etc.

When I get up in the morning, I just run through the list and the items follow. It is very effective.

 

[nitsuj]

Memorization is not very useful. It's more important to have an understanding of a concept, because most things can just be looked up later. In software development, I know what a language can and can't do, and understand all of the modern programming concepts, but I let my IDE or Google direct me to the names of constants or function parameters or the such. I used to memorize them just through repetition, but I'm not sure I can even do that any more. Memories are also unreliable.

While I agree with the underlined there is allot of weight to give to shorter term memory with respect to developing an understanding and "integrating" said concept. I found memorization is good for learning definitions of words, but that's just a preresequit for the communication of the concept; like "math"

Whos memory is unreliable? lol

 

[BillTre]

Biology is full of things worthy of memorizing if you are going to work in that field.
Due to the contingent nature of evolution, particular details of biology are rarely predictable from theory or principles.

 

[bland]

I used to know this awesome technique for memorising virtually anything, unfortunately I forgot the method which is a bit of a PITA. Nevertheless the best way to remember something is to understand it.

 

[berkeman]

As mentioned, it really depends on the field that you are trying to memorize things in. About 10 years ago, I got my EMT license and started working part-time shifts. The EMT coursework was very different from my technical EE training, so memorizing all that Anatomy and Physiology was pretty different. The best technique for me was repeatedly writing down the material by hand. At first, I had to keep referring to the book's figures and tables, but eventually I could write it all down from memory by hand.

Another important aspect of Emergency Medicine is being able to follow pretty detailed protocols when working with patients, even in the face of all kinds of intense chaos and distractions on-scene. To get your license (and to renew it every 2 years), you have to be able to pass hands-on tests on about a dozen protocols, done at full-speed on simulated patients. (And of course, you have to be able to do this in real life with real patients all the time.) When you are tested on the protocols, you can only miss one or two small items in the protocol, or you fail the test and have to be re-tested later. So memorizing the procedures and protocols and not forgetting any steps is very important.

So two of the most important protocols are the Patient Assessments for Trauma Patients and for Medical Patients. The two Assessment protocols have a lot in common, but they have some parts that need to be in different orders and with some extra steps. When I was working on memorizing them using the technique that I mentioned above (writing them down over and over, looking less and less at the book), I found that it helped me the most to combine the two procedures into one overall flowchart, and to use a trick of memorizing the number of steps in each sub-part of each protocol. This helped me to be sure not to skip any steps in the Assessments. One of the most un-nerving things an examiner asks when you are done assessing a patient is, "Did you miss anything?". Especially with a critical patient or a stressful situation, it really is a hard question to answer. But since I keep track of the number of things I need to do in each part of the protocols, I could usually say with some confidence, "No, I didn't miss anything."

Here is the end result of all of that work and memorizing and synthesizing -- I wrote up the combined flowchart in Visio and have added to it and edited it a bit over the years to keep up with changing EMT protocols and some tricks that I've picked up.

 

[bland]

... I end up picking up the shape in my head, and performing the operations on the shape, so that I see the numbers changing and the object changing as one

I was listening to the Chaos audiobook just last week (read brilliantly by Rob Shapiro) and it mentioned that Benoit Mandelbrot was able to pass his Maths entrance exam even though he had no formal training by seeing the problems as shapes then manipulating those shapes in his head!