What is mnemonics. The art of mnemonics is based not so much on knowledge of effective memorization techniques, but on the ability to become active in time and sometimes use one’s abilities, professional memory, and erudition in an unexpected way.

History of mnemonics. - A system that uses local memory. - Memorization using mnemonic techniques: numbers in chronology, statistics, etc., memorizing incoherent names, words, etc. - Memorizing large numbers. - Examples from lectures by Mr. Feinstein.

We will now move on to the art of memorization, which is called mnemonics or mnemonics. The main task of this art is to indicate ways to memorize in a short time such a large number of data, which without any auxiliary techniques would be very difficult, and sometimes completely impossible to remember.

Teachers of mnemonics, however, have much broader goals: in their opinion, thanks to this art, one can “acquire excellent memory.” Having acquired a good memory, we can remember everything with great ease. But there is a big difference between that task and this one: the first is quite possible, the second is impossible.

This art is of very old origin. Some say that it was known in the east, others consider the Greek poet Simonides (died in 469 BC) to be the real inventor of this art. The following is said about his invention. Simonides was invited to a feast with a rich man. When the guests were already sitting at the table, Simonides was informed that two young men had arrived who wanted to see him. He immediately got up from the table and left, but found no one. As he left, the room in which the feast was taking place collapsed, and everyone in it was killed. Those who wanted to bury their dead relatives and friends had no way of recognizing their mutilated corpses. Then Simonides tried to remember in what order the feasters sat at the table, and by the place they occupied, he could identify each corpse. This gave him the reason to discover the law that one can remember the image of a famous person from a place, and this led him to the discovery of a method of memorization, which I will talk about below.

Among the other arts that the Sophists offered to youth were mnemonics. Of course, for the Greeks this art had a lot of attractions, because the art of oratory, which flourished at that time, required extensive memorization. It should be noted that not a single Greek or Roman speaker spoke to the public with notes in hand, and this, of course, made it necessary to find artificial memorization techniques. Indeed, we see that subsequently mnemonics are constantly associated with “rhetoric.”

In the works of Cicero and Quintilian we find a presentation of the mnemonic system (there is an opinion that in the time of Cicero there was a whole mnemotechnical literature), which was then repeated almost verbatim by medieval scientists, as well as in the 19th century.

Many famous medieval and later scholars offered to teach this art; among them we meet such names as Raymond Lullia and Giordano Bruno; traveling to different cities of Europe, they proposed this, as they called, memoria technica. In the Middle Ages this art also enjoyed great success, and it is easy to see why. It was necessary to know an enormous amount by heart; for theological disputes, which were especially practiced at that time, it was necessary to know by heart entire passages from the Holy Scriptures; Sometimes it was necessary to indicate exactly in which book, chapter, paragraph, etc. a well-known place is located. All these difficulties could be circumvented only by using mnemonics.

Interest in this art, one might say, has never waned, but it is especially revived at the beginning of this century. A number of different works appear, various mnemonics systems are proposed (there were, for example, a Polish, French, etc. system - the literature on this subject is unusually large. Next, the author lists dozens of names and books).

They even tried to use mnemonics in schools (for example, the Refentlov system in the 1840s). According to individuals, who were witnesses application of this system, the results were unexpected: children learned the rules of mnemonics with great interest and applied them with such success that they could quickly memorize chronological data, numbers from geography, history, etc.

Here are the words of the director of one educational institution:

1. Mr. Refentlov’s method is completely consistent with the nature of memory and, as it were, copied from the functions of this spiritual power; it brings into order and under rules what memory did unconsciously.

2. The presentation of the method is easy to understand even for children under ten years of age.

3. This method can be used usefully to retain in memory a large number of names, numbers, foreign words, etc.

4. Useful for engaging spiritual strength and as a pleasant pastime for young people. The children very willingly took up this method, and it strengthened and revived their natural memory.

Everything we have read and heard about the art of Mr. Refentlov proves that it is not the action of a strong memory by nature, but more a consequence of his methods; and we believe that even people who are not gifted with a great memory can achieve the same results with proper exercise.

The experiments demonstrated by the mnemonic technician Castillo in Frankfurt am Main in 1839 and reported by eyewitnesses aroused general surprise. He distributed to the public a program that contained 20 thousand of the most difficult to remember data from almost all sciences, and for the proposed by different persons questions on these sciences, he reproduced these data with the greatest accuracy. Having read just once the numbers, sentences, etc., written by the public on separate sheets of paper, he could reproduce them all and, moreover, in whatever order it was required of him.

In the external history of mnemonics we find moments showing that this art was previously used for speculative purposes. One of the famous mnemonics was Lambert Schenkel (born around 1547). He traveled for a long time, teaching his art, throughout France, Germany and Belgium and attracted general attention. His disciples had to take an oath that they would keep his system secret. Since he did not have time to go everywhere where he was required, he sent his student Martin Sommer in his place, so that he would share with him the money he earned, but Sommer betrayed his teacher: not only did he not want to share with him with his income, but also divulged his secret with a book he published in Venice.

In fact, Schenkel’s system was borrowed from the ancients, but he himself presents it as original and, when studying it, suggests using magical means, because it is impossible to achieve by natural means what he does thanks to his art.

Lavrentiy Friz, who wrote a book entitled “A Brief Instruction on How to amazingly strengthen the memory" (1525), in the preface he says that "in this hedge of thorns one can find an excellent thing, namely, the correction of natural memory, which does not yield to the efforts of even the most persistent diligence, and thus get, so to speak, the hair from the donkey" . By the way, the author in his essay teaches us that memory is located in the back of the head, that eating chickens, canlups, small birds, young roasted hares, and for dessert - peaches, nuts, good red wine, etc. Others said that for this purpose it is very useful to eat bear fat, the brains of roosters and other birds.

More recently, in 1836, a brochure was published on German under the title “The Art of Acquiring a Memory So Happy as to Be Able to Reproduce Word for Word Everything We Have Heard or Read.” This brochure was sold sealed as a precaution. Its first page tells the story of an old man who had an extraordinary memory. After his death, they allegedly found among his papers a recipe for strengthening his memory; This recipe contains up to 30 narcotic medications, which must be crushed and poured into a vessel, infused with wine, for which this composition must stand in the oven for three weeks. After this period, you need to thoroughly wash your hair and mainly your temples with this infusion in the morning and evening, after which amazing results will appear.

As I said, there are a lot of mnemonic systems; in reality, both the most ancient and the newest differ very little from each other. Let us consider the essence of only the most important of them.

Some systems use the side of our visual memory that helps us remember places; This type of memory in psychology is called local memory or place memory. Thanks to it, we can vividly remember the places we have seen and everything that is connected (associated) with them, as in the above case, Simonides remembered the places that the feasters occupied and their faces; both were so closely linked in his memory that he only needed to remember the places in order to remember the faces. Therefore, if we want to remember something, we can associate it with a famous place; for example, with a public building, with some house on a famous street, or with the furnishings of a room; when we remember these places or objects, the ideas associated with them subsequently appear in memory. Cicero, Quintilian and other ancient scientists recommended this method of memorization.

In later systems, using the same principle, the situation is as follows: we imagine in our imagination a certain number of rooms and divide the walls and floor of each room into nine equal parts or squares, 3 in a row. There are units on the floor of the room; on the first wall there are numbers consisting of one ten with ones, on the second wall there are numbers consisting of two tens with ones, on the third wall - with three tens with ones, on the fourth - with four tens with ones. The numbers 10, 20, 30, 40 are on the ceiling above the corresponding walls; 50 occupies the middle of the ceiling.

Thus, each room provides approximately 50 seats, and a house consisting of 10 rooms will provide 500 seats. You can imagine in your imagination a row of houses, a street and even an entire city, as medieval scientists did, who called such imaginary cities “mnemonic”.

Now, having so many places at our disposal, we proceed as follows.

For each place we come up with a separate image, which we place in this place. In the 10th place, for example, there is an image of a ship, in the 30th place there is an image of a horse, etc. In a word, each place should have an image corresponding to it.

We must remember very carefully which place, which particular image corresponds so that we can instantly determine in which place, for example, the image of scissors is located, or which image is in the 8th house, in the first room in the fifth place. If we have learned this well, then we can remember chronological data in the following way.

For example, we need to remember that Henry the Birder came to the throne in 919. Let us first replace the name of Heinrich Ptitselov with some concept or symbol that would remind us of his name; Let's take, for example, the word "cell". Since we need to remember the number 919, we will be transported to the 919th place. If each room has 50 seats, then the 919th seat will be in the 18th room on the first wall on the bottom right; there we will find an image of a camel; Now we should associate the symbol “cage” in our thoughts with the image of a “camel”. If this connection becomes strong enough, then we, remembering the “cage” (the symbol of Heinrich Ptitselov), will also remember the camel, and we know that the camel is in 919th place. Thus, it is not difficult for us to remember the year of Henry Ptitselov’s accession to the throne. Or here's another example. Suppose we wish to imprint in our memory the year of the invention of printing. To do this, we must select some symbol for typography, for example, “book”, and then in our mnemonic city find the corresponding place (i.e. 1436), namely a famous house, and then a famous apartment, a famous room in it, and in this room there is a corresponding square or place. Let's say that in this place we have an image of a cat; then we mentally “give this book to the cat for safekeeping.” In order to later remember the year of the invention of printing, we need to remember the object that symbolizes printing and the image that is associated with it. When we remember that this is an image of a cat, which is located in such and such a square of such and such a room, then we can remember the year we are looking for.

In the same way we can remember the content of a speech. To do this, we divide speech into a certain number of parts; for each part we come up with a symbol and then we connect each of these symbols in order with the images in known places in the room. If this connection between symbols and images of places becomes strong, then we can easily remember the content of the entire speech; for this we only need to remember the order of the symbols of the individual parts of a given speech; we can easily restore this order, since we know well the order of the images of places; remembering these latter, we can easily restore the order of the symbols, and, based on the symbols, restore the speech itself.

It is said that by this method we can acquire the ability to reproduce a great number of incoherent ideas and words after hearing them once.

This memorization system was widely used in the Middle Ages. In those days, scientists built in their minds entire “mnemonic” cities with numerous streets, squares and houses; through prolonged reflection, these masters reached the point that they felt completely at home in their mental city. The number of houses, streets, the size of the houses, their division into a certain number of rooms was determined in advance; the same thing happened with the internal structure of houses, decorating walls and niches, filling rooms with certain things. In those days, this, of course, was not difficult, because science had a certain completeness, it did not move forward; therefore, the entire encyclopedia of knowledge could easily be placed within a certain framework, which is what medieval scientists did when, in the just indicated way, they tried to remember the content of one or another science through mental cities, streets, houses, rooms, etc.

What can we say about the suitability of this system for memorization? Anyone can immediately see that it is very artificial, and that sometimes, perhaps, simply remembering some chronological data is much easier than with the help of auxiliary techniques offered by this system. And the very method of replacing names with symbols contains a lot of arbitrary, and therefore difficult to remember. In fact, we can symbolize “book printing” not only with a “book”, but also with John Gutenberg, etc., and how can we remember that we symbolized this or that fact in one way or another: after all, through a book we can also symbolize the “book trade” , and “enlightenment”, etc. Finally, there are concepts for which it is very difficult to find symbols, for example, abstract concepts. Even if we assume that these techniques facilitate memorization, we still cannot but admit that the mnemonic system we have just outlined can be suitable mainly for those who have a good visual memory. True, most people have better visual memory than other types, but we already know that there are people who have very poor memory and who, according to Professor Stricker, when recalling the contents of an article, remember not pages, but sounds words; and if so, then the indicated mnemonic techniques can hardly be suitable for these individuals.

The system we just looked at uses local memory. Another system uses verbal memory. This is how it is used, for example, in remembering numbers.

(The invention of the following system of mnemonics is attributed to Winckelmann, who published it in 1648. According to Refentlow, the Hanoverian Archives contains a manuscript of Leibniz in Latin. This manuscript is entitled “A secret means by which numbers can be imprinted in the memory to the point of unforgettability, especially those which are found in chronology, along with an infinite number of others, and the power of memory can also be strengthened in a wonderful way." But it is very doubtful that such a manuscript belonged to Leibniz.)

Since numbers are very difficult to remember, we must turn them into words, and for this we use the corresponding letter instead of each number, as indicated in the following table.

The correspondence between letters and numbers is not very difficult to remember.

It is proposed to use this system for memorization as follows.

Let's say we want to remember the year of Vladimir's baptism - 988. Instead of the numbers 988, we substitute the letters corresponding to them, we get d-v-v. Now we should insert some other letters between these letters so that we get words that have meaning, reminding us of the indicated event. By inserting the letters in the indicated way, we get the following words: giving faith; and these words remind us of the event of Vladimir’s baptism, because “having given the Christian faith”, he earned the title of Equal-to-the-Apostles.

The year of the battle of Kalka 1240 is indicated by the letters n k l (the unit is discarded when memorizing). By inserting letters, we get the word “called.” This has this to do with the battle of Kalka: “the Russians, by killing the Mongol ambassadors, brought disaster upon themselves.”

The year of the Battle of Kulikovo 1380 is depicted by the letters z in l. From these letters we get the word “overwhelmed.” “The Kulikovo field was littered with corpses.”

In exactly the same way, they suggest memorizing numbers in other sciences, for example, in geography. Suppose we want to note that the area of ​​Asia occupies 870 thousand square meters. miles; instead of 870 we get the letters b c l; from this we form the words “all people” in the above-mentioned way. “Asia is the cradle of the entire human race (all people).

The height of Mount Ciborazo is 20 thousand feet. 20 is represented by the letters n l; from these letters the word “impossible” is obtained (You cannot climb Mount Chimborazo because it is steep).

Ararat has 16 thousand feet. 16 is represented by the letters p w; it turns out the word is decided. (It was decided that the ark stopped on her).

In chemistry, the application of this method is as follows: suppose we need to remember the specific value of mercury is 13.5; 13.5 = p z b = “runs up”; specific gravity of arsenic = 5.77 = p c c = “beware” or b d g = “flee it.”

In jurisprudence, the content of Article 947 is expressed by the letters d b g = “To fugitives who entered the Novorossiysk region from other provinces.” (Contents of the specified article).

In the same way, you can, of course, remember numbers in all other sciences.

In mnemonic systems that use verbal memory, the following techniques are recommended by which we can remember a series of names.

Instead of names, if they are difficult to remember, we choose words or names that sound the same and compare them with each other. For example, we need to remember the names of the seven Greek sages: Solon, Periander, Chilon, Pittacus, Bias, Cleoblulus. We put Peru instead of Periander, Chile instead of Chilon, a nickel instead of Pittacus, beer instead of Bias, clover instead of Cleobulus and then we make up the following phrase: “Solon stands with his left foot on the map of Peru, and with his right foot on the map of Chile, in his right hand holds a copper coin, and in the left a bottle of beer and looks at the clover field (Gartenbach, uk. op., 101).

There is another way to remember names. For this, as, for example, in in this case, only the first syllables of the names are taken: Per (Periander), Pi (Pittacus), Ta (Thales), So (Solon), Bi (Bias), Hi (Chilon), Kle (Cleobulus). From these syllables a separate word will be formed - Perpitasobihicle, through which we can reproduce all these names. Or these first syllables make up a whole phrase.

To remember incoherent ideas, it is necessary, according to the rules of mnemonics, to express such ideas in characteristic words and then give their connection. For example, the seven wonders of the ancient world were: the hanging gardens of Queen Babylon in Babylon, the Egyptian pyramids, the statue of Olympian Zeus in Hellas, sculpted by Phidias, the temple of Diana in Ephesus, the ear of Rhodes, the lighthouse on the island of Pharos near Alexandria and the mausoleum built by Queen Artemisia for her husband Mausolus . To remember all this, the following phrase is constructed: “We see a pyramid in the garden, on top of which there is a statue; the interior of this pyramid is like a temple; The entrance is guarded by a copper giant spike, whose empty head serves as a beacon and is slightly smaller than a mausoleum.

They suggest using the same method in order to remember a whole series of anecdotes or stories; To do this, you need to take from each story one word or phrase characteristic of this story, then link these individual words together, inserting some ideas that could give them a certain meaning, approximately as was just done.

There is a technique in mnemonics with which you can remember very large numbers. Using this technique, you can remember numbers consisting of a hundred or more digits. To those who do not know how incredibly easily this can be achieved, the art of mnemonics seems miraculous. The technique is as follows.

To memorize large numbers, a table is compiled once and for all, which is learned by heart. This table is compiled in such a way that each single-digit or two-digit number up to 99 corresponds to a specific word.

Once it is clear to the reader how such a table is compiled, then it will immediately become clear to him how it can be used to remember large numbers.

Suppose that in the indicated table the number 17 corresponds to the word “board”, the number 21 - “duck”, the number 52 - “saber”, the number 56 - “iron”. Let us now assume that we want to remember 17215256. To do this, we, using a comma, divide it into edges from right to left; then we will get the following numbers: 17 - 21 - 52 - 56. But we already know that these numbers correspond to the words: board, duck, saber, iron. Instead of memorizing numbers, we will try to memorize a series of words. It's much easier. And in order to remember a series of words, we need to compose a phrase from this series of incoherent words that would have a certain meaning. This phrase will be, for example, the following: “There is a duck sitting on the board, which was pierced with a saber, because there was no other iron for this purpose.” Having memorized such a phrase and knowing from a pre-compiled table that the word board corresponds to the number 17, the word duck to the number 21, etc., we can immediately reproduce the entire number using individual words. Using such techniques, you can even remember the Ludolf number, which, as you know, consists of 126 digits.

In addition to the above methods of memorizing words and expressions that are not related to each other, there is another method that is considered new, but which, in my opinion, does not contain anything essentially new. It is as follows.

Suppose we need to remember two words: feather and nose, which are logically not connected with each other. Previous mnemonics for this purpose would have composed a phrase that would have contained the words: “feather” and “nose”. In all likelihood, they would have made up the phrase: “there is a feather on the nose” or something like that. According to the new system, the following words are inserted: ink, ink bottle, bottle of snuff. The associative connection is easy to understand: “pen, ink bottle, bottle of snuff, nose.”

The reader can easily see that there is actually nothing new in this. After all, the main principle of mnemonics is to make some kind of insertions that would establish an associative connection between words, between which, in reality, there is no such connection, and whether we insert one word or three, as in this case, it will not makes no significant difference. These side associations here, as before, only make memorization more difficult.

So that the reader can verify this, let us take the method of remembering, according to this system, the presidents of the United States: Washington, Adams, Thomas Jefferson, etc. We will only consider the name of the first two presidents. To do this, you need to remember the following series of words that are in associative connection with each other:

For those who do not know English, I will show you the connection between these words. President (president) at the end has dent, which, due to the association by similarity, calls dentist (dentist).

Dentist, due to association by contiguity, causes drow (pulling, tearing teeth, pulling with force).

Drow causes to give up (refuse), due to association by contrast, because to pull means to use physical force, to overcome a certain resistance; to refuse means not to use effort, not to show any resistance.

To give up evokes, due to the association of similarity, self-sacrifici (self-sacrifice is a well-known historical fact from the life of Washington).

Self-sqcrifice evokes Washington as an abstract definition of the person known as Washington.

Washington evokes due to the association by similarity (sound) morning wash. Morning wash causes wedding morning due to association by similarity (one common word).

Wedding morning evokes Wedding bouquet (an event related to the life of the next President Adams), due to association by similarity. Wedding bouquet evokes Garden (garden), due to the association by contiguity, Garden evokes Eden - in Russian Eden (relationship of genus and species); Eden calls Adams by association by contiguity. Adam - second president, etc.

The same technique is used for remembering other presidents.

The same method is used to memorize foreign words...

...To complete the review of mnemonic systems, it remains for me to mention Mr. Feinstein’s system. In fact, I could completely remain silent about it, because it does not contain anything that would not be in the most common books on mnemonics, but I consider it necessary to mention it, firstly, because with the name g Feinstein evokes the idea of ​​mnemonics in the modern Russian reader, secondly, because in his hands mnemonics took on that caricature form that allows the reader to give a proper assessment of this art itself.

“Through my method,” says Mr. Feinstein, “based on the laws of physiology, logic, psychology and pedagogy, memory is returned to those who have lost it, it becomes good for those who have bad and better for those who have good.”

“My system promotes the development of even the weakest memory, bringing it to the highest possible degree of perfection,” etc.

In order to remember a number of words such as ice, flax, forest, puddle, paw, crowbar, bow, lion, lyre, tulle, according to Mr. Feinstein’s system, you need to imagine the following picture: “Winter... There is snow all around. In front of you on the left stretches a long river covered with ice, there is a lot of flax lying right there, which connects with the nearest forest. In the forest you can see a large puddle, in which you notice a huge paw, and on it lies a heavy crowbar; A large bow is tied to the crowbar, which is in the teeth of a lion, on whose back for some reason a lyre hung with tulle is tied.

In order to remember the names of Russian princes in order “Rurik, Oleg, Igor, Olga, Svyatoslav, Vladimir the Holy, Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir Monomakh, Mstislav, Izyaslav,” according to Mr. Fainstein’s method, you need to do the following. You must first memorize 10 words that sound similar to these names. These words are: “hand, deer, eel, alder, glory, holy, tier, softly, revenge, manger.”

To remember these ten incoherent words, you need to make appropriate insertions. Exactly:

1) hand... leg... fast legs... deer

2) deer... forest... snake... eel

3) eel... mountain... high... tree... alder

4) alder... dashing... dashing word... glory

5) glory... prayer... priest... saint

6) holy... temple... tier

7) tier... chair... soft

8) softly... cruelty... revenge

9) revenge... brutal feeling... animal... horse... manger

Having studied these 10 words, they should be associated with the names of princes as follows:

1) Hand = ru--ryu--Rurik.

2) Deer = Oleg.

3) Eel = Igor.

4) Alder = Olga.

5) Slava = Svyatoslav.

6) Saint = Vladimir the Saint.

7) Tier = Yaroslav the Wise.

8) Softly = Vladimir Monomakh.

9) Revenge = Mstislav.

10) Nursery = Izyaslav.

Here, for example, according to Mr. Fainstein’s system, is how one could remember Pushkin’s poem “Gypsies.”

Over wooded banks

In the hour of evening silence

Noise and songs under the tents,

And the lights are out.

Hello happy tribe!

I recognize your fires!

I would do it myself at a different time

I saw off these tents.

Tomorrow at first light

Your free trail will disappear,

You will leave, but behind you

Your poet won't do.

He roams the night

And the pranks of old

Forgotten for rural bliss

And home silence.

To remember this poem using Mr. Feinstein’s method, you need to connect one word of each verse with one word of the next verse, but in the same way as we saw above, namely, by inserting some words that would establish an associative connection. How this is done in this case, the reader will now see for himself.

“Here we resort to the help of imagination,” says Mr. Feinstein. We imagine that “the gypsies are

Over wooded banks

which are especially pleasant for us

In the hour of evening silence

The opposite of silence is noise:

Noise and songs under the tents

in the latter there are small candles burning, the fire of which is barely visible

And the lights are out

in the word laid out the sound “wife” is heard; wife and husband, representatives of the tribe:

Hello happy tribe!

the tribe sounds like a flame, which is especially visible in bonfires:

I recognize your fires

in which the fire shines; The opposite of fire is water in the sea, where there are fish, and between them som-sam:

I would do it myself at a different time

Everyone wants to have fun

I saw off these tents

The tents are usually without roofs; birds with feathers are often on the roof

Tomorrow at first light

The beam disappears quickly

Your free trail will disappear

Footprints are made by the feet we walk with,

You'll leave

If he leaves, he will go

But your poet will not follow you

A poet's thoughts fly quickly, but an ordinary person's thoughts seem to wander, wander

He roams the night

Accommodation for soldiers is usually assigned by order of the commander, orders are pranks

And the pranks of old

Many people forget the old

Forgotten for rural bliss

The one who does not make frequent movements and sits constantly at home, where it is sometimes quiet, becomes gentle.

And home silence...

I will not clutter up my book with further quotes from Mr. Feinstein’s lectures (Quoted from Mr. Feinstein’s lectures, printed by means of a multiplying apparatus, the so-called cyclostyle) because everything else in his course is all of the same kind, but I cannot refrain from noting, that when I became acquainted with how such beautiful poems as the one just cited should be studied using his method, I remembered a review by one writer about the meaning of mnemonics. In his opinion, “the brain of a madman must not have such a terrible appearance as the brain of a person constantly engaged in mnemonics. Probably, this writer had in mind precisely the brains of those people who study something with the help of mnemonic devices, like Mr. Feinstein's techniques.

This is the essential content of mnemonic art. With its help, it is possible to memorize a number of incoherent words, remember chronology and, in general, numerical data in various areas. This completely exhausts the content of mnemonics, and the system of one mnemonic device either does not differ at all from the system of another, or, if it differs, it is in very insignificant features.

Despite this, from time to time there are teachers of mnemonics who claim that their system is different from all previous ones, that it is completely original and leads to extraordinary results.

So, for example, there are currently three mnemonics teachers, two of whom “strengthen” the memory of their students for a very large fee, and one for a moderate fee. This is precisely Loisette in London, Poelman in Munich and Mr. Feinstein in Odessa. (Loisette charges 5 guineas or 105 marks (about 50 rubles) for his course; Mr. Fainstein charges 50 rubles for his “complete course of sophistication and strengthening of memory.” Pelman is content with a more modest fee: he charges only 20 marks (about 9 rubles) .

Data that is based on the specifics of human psychology and the rules of memorization.

Studying and applying mnemonics techniques helps to better assimilate information of various types:

• numbers, dates;
• specific texts;
• terminology;
• personal data;
• foreign vocabulary.

The basic principle of any mnemonic techniques is the replacement of abstract objects with concepts that have a visual or sensory representation.

How does mnemonics work?

By the age of 18, millions of nerve cells and pathways have formed in the human brain, helping to process incoming data at optimal times, find solutions to problems and perform standard actions at minimal cost. mental activity. However, if you constantly use only proven skills, your brain will stop developing. Therefore, periodic shake-up for the brain is very important.

Memory is similar in properties to muscle, i.e. she also needs training to be toned, just like her body. If you don't do it, then over time it will begin to fail. The more the brain is loaded, the better it analyzes and remembers information. Most effective exercises disrupt the routine of mental activity and stimulate interest in self-improvement.

Mnemonics have been known to mankind since ancient times. Already in Ancient Greece it was noted that memory is interconnected with the senses. And the more emotions a person receives in the process of life, the brighter the memories will be. Therefore, when training to memorize, it is necessary to connect vivid associations.

In order for the memory to store the received data for a long time, it is necessary to replace facts with ideas that have a kinetic, visual and auditory form. That is, replace a dry fact with a bright image.

Mnemonics techniques are quite diverse, but each of them has specific criteria:

• New. It doesn’t matter what task is chosen and how difficult it is - if it is new, then the benefit from it will be great. The main goal of the reception is to get out of the familiar and ordinary zone.
• Difficulty level. As tasks, you need to choose an exercise that requires mental effort and, therefore, provides knowledge. For example, you can learn a language or master a musical instrument.
• Interest. The more interested a person is in a new activity, the higher the chance that this hobby will last for a long time. Remember that the level of difficulty of training should be high, but not so high that you admit your inability. It is necessary to choose classes in an incremental manner.

Mnemonics techniques with regular training give effective results. You can remember all the contacts from your phone book, easily understand the rules of English grammar, reproduce notes and much more.

Memory techniques

Numbers, dates and various events associated with them can be remembered through associations with other significant numbers or thanks to the Shed system. According to this approach, dates from history or house numbers can be remembered by composing a phrase consisting of words arranged in a certain order. In this case, the letter in such a word will correspond to a certain number. For example, in order not to forget the number 896 through mnemonics, you need to compose a phrase in which the first word will have strictly 8 letters, the second will consist of 9, and so on.

With specific texts that do not lend themselves to conventional methods of memorization or memorization, mnemonic techniques will also help.

Especially the method of associations. Finding vivid associations that will be connected to memorized information can be not only useful, but also exciting. Even texts of this kind can be memorized in the form of rhymed lines, which also contribute to memorization. You can memorize numbers using the same method.

Terms and concepts can become easy to remember by using a technique such as consonance. Many words from scientific terminology have consonant “analogs” in more simple version language.

Trouble remembering faces and names. What to do?

In order to record personal data about a new person in memory and associate them with him, you can associate him with another person who is a “namesake” (parents, acquaintances, friends, politicians, actors and other personalities).

To remember a surname, you can use mnemonic techniques based on visual associations. Start by exploring the possibility of replacing or selecting an analogue of a new surname. In addition, it may help if you have some remarkable human trait that you can associate with the association.

Presentation: "Know yourself. What do you know about your memory?"

The simplest of the mnemonic methods that will help secure the desired name is a combination of the following techniques: show interest in the person,

• celebrate his achievement or give a compliment,
• repeat the name again;
• associate the information received with a specific person.

Mnemonics techniques in language learning

Take into account the method of phonetic associations, which appeared due to the fact that in every language of the world you can find words or components of phrases that will sound approximately the same. In addition, in different languages ​​you can find words that have a common origin. For example, the word constantly (adverb, constantly) can be remembered if you associate it with a similar word from the Russian language “constant”.

The method of interaction of different sensations is a mnemonic approach that will be useful for those who are focused on fluency and want to communicate in a foreign language.

According to this memorization approach, you need to memorize a foreign word not as a translation from native language, but as an association with a unit of foreign vocabulary. In this case, the necessary concept is also remembered. For example, to learn the three-letter word “cat,” you need to imagine a tail and paws, and, holding a similar image in your mind, say (out loud) “cat” a couple of times, trying not to think about the word “cat.”

Important: All cheat sheets should be created independently. Thus, information is better absorbed by the brain. But if you have problems with imagination or time, you can use ready-made techniques and templates.

How to remember historical facts using mnemonics?

Every person remembers how difficult it was to prepare for history exams, because remembering all the data and events is quite difficult. But this is only because you do not use mnemonics to prepare for texts. In this case, we propose combining several techniques.

The first thing to do is to realize that history is not just dry dates, but a certain sequence of events. In order to remember them in in the right order, an associative series should be compiled.

Let's take an example of the date of the fall of Byzantium - 1453.

1. Let's make a code of numbers and letters, i.e. every number is a letter. For example, 1 - s, 4 - t, 5 - o, 3 - g. Make up a word from these letters. You can take any symbols and words.
2. Then we encode the word by sound, i.e. a visit is more suitable for Byzantium.
3. The mention of a great empire is associated with a king.
4. Connect these elements in the brain. For example, the king paid a visit to the table and it fell.

With a few training sessions and consistent associations, the history of any empire can be learned and reproduced quite easily. It's all about practice.

Mnemonics works

Most people, having barely looked at the proposal to form the above-mentioned association, will not do this, because... will find it difficult. After all, in order to remember one date you need to come up with a story.

Of course, this process at first seems labor-intensive, because it requires straining imagination, which a person rarely uses in everyday life. However, after 2-3 such tasks, the exercise does not seem so difficult.

The mnemonics chains work. And this is due to the fact that memory does not store dry dates and facts, but it retains images filled with emotions for a long time. This is a scientifically proven fact.

In ancient Egypt, priests possessed secret knowledge of the science of imagery. They carefully kept it from the general population. Why was it so important?

If you transfer your attention from outside to inside and follow how thoughts are formed, you can see that in your head they appear in the form of an image, but not in the form of a number series. If the word “king” is easily associated with an empire and a person applies this association, then the information received will be easily remembered.

Each of the mnemonic techniques can be used to memorize any material or information. Different mnemonics constantly intersect, helping to achieve the highest results and memory training.

The technique of remembering historical dates is one of the simplest in mnemonics. To read pictures from your imagination, it is enough to remember the pictures approximately. If you can read the exact date according to the recalled association (companion - tea, ice, watermelon), it means that you remember the images quite clearly. Please note that your memory does not reproduce the spelling of words or numbers, but it is good at recalling the images and sounds of words and phrases. For example, you do not see the writing in letters “Capitolian Wolf” - the symbol of Rome, but when you remember its visual image, you can easily remember its name without special memorization. Thus, mnemonics actively use the property of our memory to quickly associate words and short phrases with images (in the form of speech sounds, but not in the form of letters and numbers).

The technique of remembering historical dates ensures lifelong memorization. But every time the information is remembered in the form of a picture, an association (general view of the card, an invisible cheat sheet), it is read from the imagination exactly as you read the images visible on the card on the screen.

Methods for encoding numbers into visual images are quite complex. Therefore, in modern mnemonics, a pre-compiled reference book of figurative codes of numbers is given, made in the form of photographs on cards.

The illustrated system of figurative codes, which currently exists only in Russian-language mnemonics, is one of the main methods of memorization, along with the “impact method” - the technique of forming an artificial association (connecting several images into parts of one image).

By using the same images for numbers, names of months and other frequently repeated elements of information, a quick search in memory for information with the same elements is possible. For example, the element “ice” is October. If you imagine the image of “ice”, your memory will show all the pictures that contain this image: October 12, 1492 - discovery of America by Columbus; October 14, 1066 - Battle of Hastings; October 4, 1957 - launch of the first satellite... Other interesting memory effects are described in mnemonics. For example, images can be rewritten in memory. If you remember a date with an error, you can overwrite it. To do this, you need to memorize other images for the same central image (satellite), for the same parts of it. Old images will be erased.

The volume of memorization using mnemonics is limited by a fairly low memorization speed (on average 6 seconds per memory entry for one connection). Mnemonic memorization is similar to figurative note-taking: the most important things are remembered in the form of visual images. Mnemonics may well replace traditional paper cheat sheets. But unlike them, mnemonic “cheat sheets” are invisible and can be stored in memory for life.

Story

Prerequisites for the appearance

The art of memorization was especially important in pre-literate periods of human history. Thus, priests, shamans, and storytellers had to remember enormous amounts of information. Even after the advent of writing, the art of memorization did not lose its relevance. A very small number of books, the high cost of writing materials, the large mass and volume of the written book - all this encouraged memorizing the text. It was also affected by the long time spent on the road during travel, when it was impossible to read and write and one had to use what was in memory.

First texts

The first texts on mnemonics known to us were created by the ancient Greeks. The art of memorization was also developed by medieval monks, who needed to remember a huge number of liturgical texts. During the Renaissance, when knowledge began to be considered power (Francis Bacon: “Knowledge itself is power”), the ability to hold knowledge in one’s head was also very, very highly valued. For example, books on mnemonics were written by Giordano Bruno. In his testimony to the Inquisition tribunal, he reports that he published in France a book on memory entitled “On the Shadows of Ideas.” Considering that Bruno was invited by King Henry III (King of France), wanting to find out where he got so much knowledge, it should be assumed that Bruno was well versed in the art of memorization.

Speech structures

Methods

Alphanumeric alphabet

Its essence lies in the fact that each number is associated with some letters. Several such alphabets are known.

0 . of course, letters N And L in a word " N O L b".

1 . R from the word " R az."

2 . D - « D va" and G, since this figure most closely resembles this small letter.

3 . T from " T ri" and 3 - by external similarity.

4 . H from the word " H four" (and, by the way, resembles in appearance), but more often TO from the word "Square".

5 . P - « P yat" and B, by similarity of sound (and appearance).

6 . Sh - « Sh there is" and AND, also due to the similarity of sound.

7 . WITH - « WITH eat”, and usually this is enough, since WITH- a very common letter.

8 . IN - « IN osem" (the external resemblance is also strong) and, sometimes, similar in sound F.

9 . It's more difficult here. Can M from the word " M nogo”, since 9 is the largest number.

Using visual memory

Various external structuring techniques are used to activate visual memory. Can be used to memorize poems, basic plans, sequences of actions, etc. Such techniques are especially effective for people with dominance of visual memory over other types of memory.

Many people are familiar with the situation when the problem arose of obtaining certain recently formed associations and connections associated with some visual image. For example, remember a person’s last name. If the surname was somehow marked (especially if somehow memorable - with any significant, noteworthy events, episodes, designs, etc.), then just look at the place of recording (for example, a class magazine) as the desired surname I immediately remember. But if you know that such a “crutch” for the brain may not be at hand, it is better to make it “artificially” in advance. He will always be “at hand”.

Reception Semantic drawing: a “visual frame (skeleton, plan)” is created, along which you can “walk” in any order and from an arbitrary point.

• Memorizing a poem
  • Each line (or several lines) is designated (encoded) by its own explanatory template - “hieroglyph” (graphic symbol, schematic drawing). To encode a process/object (meaning), standard or independently invented associative symbols are used (the first associations associated with the memorized object are better remembered). The arrangement of encoding symbols is usually sequential from left to right or from top to bottom. When manually drawing symbols, motor memory is also activated, which increases memorization. It is better to “place” schematic drawings along a well-known path (using the memory of remembering the area, its objects and relief), for example, the way home (“hanging”, “nailing”, “dig”, placing around a corner, etc.). After arranging all such “hieroglyphs”, it is enough to mentally “walk” along this road and “read” the placed drawings-signs. The situation “encoded” in them should emerge associatively in memory.

Using auxiliary items

The use of some "auxiliary devices" makes it easier to remember some important information. For example, to remember whether the phase of the Moon is “growing”, you can use a finger “attached” to the crescent in the sky: if you get the letter P - growing, otherwise C - aging (option: P - child, C - old man). There is a similar rule in French: p - premiere (first quarter), and d - derniere (last quarter).

Using sound memory

Various external structuring techniques are used to activate sound memory

You can also use the “plot principle” - compose a story (plot) that involves memorized words. For example, to remember the sequence of words: “Elephant, house, TV,” we come up with: “The elephant went to his house to watch TV.”

Mnemonic phrases, techniques, stories

Russian language

• The rustle of the prim slums, the seam of the gooseberries and gluttons
• A rustle is in the gooseberry, a seam is in the hood
• Girl in a shirt
• Something, either, or - don’t forget the hyphen, but the particles, or whatever - write them all separately (let’s separate them already)
• There were(would, would, but) dreams, doubts and statements that doubts will dissipate and dreams will come true
• Not wonderful, not beautiful, but terrible and dangerous letter T write in vain
• Here, building, health, zgi

Prepositions

Accent

Exceptions

• I can't bear to get married- mnemonic phrase for memorizing adverbs without
• The gypsy on tiptoe tutted to the chicken: “Tsyts”- mnemonic phrase for remembering words with after
• tin, wood and glass- “in the school window” (glass glass, wooden frame and tin latch)
• A girl wearing someone else's brocade shoe is not good. Saves the peppered stew for the night- mnemonic phrases to facilitate memorization, in which cases O and E are written under stress after sibilants.
• I put on clothes, I put on - Hope- to remember the use of “dress” and “put on.”
• Worship the burning of the creator- to remember the use of the roots “gar” - “mountains”, “tvar” - “tvor” and “clan” - “clone”.
• Automotive, bicycle, photo, television and radio repairman- all these prefixes are written together.
• No miracle sn oh don't stop sn oh, wow sn oh and oops sn write about the letter “T” sn o in the words “vku” sn oh, interesting sn y"- This phrase contains 7 words where “T” is not written between “S and N”.
• Psychia tr and pedia tr let's go to the theater tr .
• A poem with the help of which schoolchildren in pre-revolutionary Russia memorized words with yate (Ѣ):

• « Moneylender Rostislav went to town Rostov to do different things industry. On the way he came across sprout, overgrown and boy- teenager» - Exceptions for words with roots “ras”, “ros”.

Verbs

Exceptions to the second conjugation (sound in the film Plumbum, or Dangerous Game):

1) Drive, hold, breathe, depend, see, hear and offend, and also turn, watch, hate and endure. 2) Drive, breathe, hold, depend, see, hear and turn, and look, and hate, and offend, and endure. 3) “Chase, hold, look and see, Breathe, hear, hate And offend, and endure, And depend and twist. You will remember, friends. They cannot be conjugated with -E.” 4) To the second conjugation We will, without a doubt, include all verbs that are in -it, Exceptions: shave, lay. And one more thing: look, offend, hear, see, hate, drive, breathe, hold, twist And depend and endure.

5) Look, hear everything, see, depend, hate, twist, hold, breathe, endure, offend, drive.

Consonants

• Voiceless consonant
  • - STYOPKA FETS, WOULD YOU WANT SCHETZ? (- Styopka, do you want a cheek? - Fi!)
  • - Foka, WOULD YOU WANT TO EAT CHECK?
  • - Petka FeS, do you want a cheek?
• Media
  • WE DON'T FORGET EACH OTHER!
• Unpaired voiced consonants
  • sonorous LAMINARY
  • Normal
  • Mineral
• Unpaired voiceless consonants
  • silently I'm reading the workshop
• Unpaired hard consonants
  • Fat Chicken Walked Firmly
• Unpaired soft consonants
  • soft pike tail

Cases of the Russian language

(nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, prepositional)

• Name Parents Dali, Vinnie Toptyzhka Nicknamed(Name Parents Dali - Nicknamed Accusative Creator)

Words with

• At the entrance, the adjutant is waiting for the courier- reminds that after some prefixes a hard sign is written.

Words with fundamentally

Astronomy

The name and order of the planets of the solar system

• We Will Meet Tomorrow, My Young Companion, Near the New Planet
• We Know Everything: Yulia's Mom Sat on Pills in the Morning
• Wise Sorceress Golden-headed Fashionista of the Southern Countries Enjoys the Newest Poetry
• The Planets Are Easy for the Youngest Kid to Remember, Knowing Venus, Mercury
• We Know Everything: Many Young Marmots Learn the Names of the Planets
• On a Frosty Evening I Climbed Jung's Mast, Trying to See an Unfamiliar Port
• You Can Fly Beyond Mars Jewelly Turning Off Our Planet
• Mom Makes Strawberry Morse, and Young Son No Longer Cries
• Venya measured the ground with Marusya’s satin and uranium skirt, he is a good-for-nothing rogue.
• Little Bear Snacked on the Ham with Raspberries, Nimble Gopher Stole the Penknife
• Gloomy Venereal Disease Can Quickly Slay a Tired Nymphomaniac
• Old Sea Wolf Tormented Young Yung, Completely Tiring the Unhappy Teenager
• Mercury - one, Venus - two, sir,

• Maria of the Southern Sun Notices the Smile on the Beach Least
• Between the Wolves, the Little Bunny Tossed, Dashed, Stumbled, Fell - Didn’t Get Up
• Another way is to compare with other similar words and compose a sentence using them.
  • Examples: My friend Venus (Venus) fades (Mercury) on Earth (Earth), because she ate Mars (Mars), which was lying on the music stand (Jupiter), and threw the wrapper into a full, that is, full, trash can (Saturn), shouting after that “Hurray” (Uranus) and not a vocational school (Neptune), but graduated from an institute, later running away with some rogue (Pluto).
  • Measure of Venus Earthly Martian Dropped an urn at the St. Petersburg Garden, Unlucky
• Remember the acronym: MeVeZeMa YUSUNP
• Mnemonics of the planets by Alexey Golovnin: Little Peter Slowly Carries the Earth; The Garden Is Decorated With Unbreakable Plafonds.

Spectral classes of stars

Spectral classes of stars: O, B, A, F, G, K, M

Geography

Computer science

• mnemonic code, mnemonic (symbolic) command notations
• Mnemonics in HTML, symbol-mnemonic (SGML construct that refers to a symbol from the document's character set)
• ISO/OSI Reference Model levels:
  • in Russian (physical, channel, network, transport, session, views, applications):
    • Football Club Spartak? Only the Weak Are Accustomed to Victory!
  • in English (Physical, Data link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application):
    • Please, Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away
    • Peter Did Not Take Suzy Partying All Night
    • All People See To Need Data Processing- in reverse order
    • Admin Teased Sysop You Need Another Butt- in Russian
• Coding
  • Morse code: the use of sound memory (audio memory), encoding abstract information with sound (chanting). For example: · − (ay-daa = A, A); − · · · (baa-ki-te-kut = B,B); · − − (vi-daa-laa = B,W).

Mathematics

Pi (number)

• You just have to try
  And remember everything as it is:
  Three, fourteen, fifteen,
  Ninety two and six.- S. Bobrov "The Magic Bicorn"
• • - What do I know about circles? (3,1415)
    - So I know the number called Pi - Well done! (3,1415927)
    - Learn and know the number behind the number, how to notice good luck!(3.14159265359) - this dialogue was suggested by Ya. I. Perelman
  • She was and will be respected at work
  • Who, both jokingly and soon, wishes “Pi” to know the number - already knows
  • Whoever, both jokingly and playfully, desires “Pi” to know the number, will recognize it
  • I know this and remember it perfectly - “Pi” many signs are unnecessary for me, in vain
  • How I want and desire to get bloody drunk after these stupid questions that cause severe depression!

E (number)

• Russian version up to the 15th decimal place (e = 2.718281828459045...): Two commas, seven versts is not a hook (2.7) + two Leo Tolstoys (Tolstoy was born in 1828) + rectangular isosceles (angles of an isosceles right triangle - 45, 90, 45)
• Another variant of rule e is associated with US President Andrew Jackson: 2 - so many times elected, 7 - he was the seventh President of the United States, 1828 - the year of his election, repeated twice, since Jackson was elected twice. Then - again an isosceles right triangle
• Word lengths encode the first digits of a number:
  • ""We fluttered and shone,
    but got stuck in the pass:
    they didn’t recognize our thefts
    rally

Square root of 2

• Word lengths encode the first digits of the number (1.4142135623730950488016887242097):
  • I'm Katya, I'm a fool, but I found the root of two

Quadratic equation

• There are equations for memorizing different rules: ,

Double cross product

• Body stuck in water
  bulges to freedom
  with the force of upturned water
  body stuck there.

• If the body is stuck in water,
  then it never sinks.
  He's rushing from under there
  the force of expelled water.

• If the body is stuck in water,
  it will never sink.
  The power of drawn water
  he'll be kicked out of there.

• Body stuck in water
  bulges to freedom
  with the force of upturned water
  body pressed there.

2) Memorizing the formula: Rozha - Wow!, and you can also just remember the brand of wine “Rogeve” (RoZheVe)

where is the density of the liquid (gas), is the acceleration of gravity, and is the volume of the submerged body (or the part of the volume of the body located below the surface)

4) Pre-exponential factor in the Maxwell distribution

remembered as milk for two lousy cats(this option was invented by I.V. Savelyev).

7) Mechanical work - A=FS, remembered as the brand of beer “Efes Pilsner” or simply as “Efes”.

• TO ak O once AND ak- h lantern G city With broke f onar.(How Jean the Beller Once Knocked Down a Lantern with His Head)
• TO from O slu, and Irafu, h Ike G blue With sewed f awesome
• TO every O shaper and wants h nah, G de With sway f Photoshop
• TO cook O circles and arcy h curtain G luons, With creating f Luids
• TO every O educated and woman h eats breakfast G hot With yryny f rikadelki
• TO rejoices O canopy,
  AND macaw h atmilas G Lubina.
  WITH frosty F ujiyama
• TO every O hunter and wants h nah, G de With goes f adhan .

Time, calendar

• Number of days in months of the year
  • By the knuckles. You need to clench your hands into fists and put two fists together, sideways to each other, as if you were holding a pencil with both hands. The months are counted by the protruding knuckles and the hollows between the knuckles. If a month falls on a domino, it means it is long, with 31 days; if it’s in the hollow, it means it’s short, it has 30 days, or 28/29 if it’s February. January is the knuckle of the little finger, February is the hollow between the little finger and the ring finger, March is the knuckle of the ring finger, etc. The months of July and August fall on the knuckles of the index fingers, there is no hollow between them.
  • Second way:

"UpUnSeNo" - 30 days
Ap - April
Yun - June
Se - SEPTEMBER
But - NOVEMBER

• • Use the piano keys to count the months according to the notes of the chromatic scale, starting from the note F - the white keys will correspond to months that have 31 days.
• Changeover to winter/summer time
  • The procedure for changing the clock hands to daylight saving / winter time: determined by the rule of the first letters: “ BB- spring ahead, OO- back in the fall" (abbreviated: "VV OO").
  • the second method: “We move the hands to summer” - in the spring the hand wants to bring the onset of summer closer and therefore moves forward an hour; in the fall the hand does not want to say goodbye to summer so quickly and therefore goes back an hour.

Medicine, biology

• During the day they work with cones, at night they walk with rods- to remember the specifics of the work of the photoreceptors of the retina.
• The donkey sharpens his ax on a whetstone, and the fakir, rotating (in the past: squinting) his eye, wants to howl like a shark- to remember the order of pairs of cranial nerves (in Latin): olfactoruis, opticus, oculomotorius, trochlearis, trigeminus, abducens, facialis, vestibulocochlearis (in the past, according to BNA: statoacusticus), glossopharyngeus, vagus, accessorius, hypoglossus.
• Sunken Eyes, Bogatyr Chest, Lowered Crown, Gray Curls - I Will Make a Portrait- names of cranial nerves in Russian: (olfactory, optic, oculomotor, trochlear, ternary, abducens (eye), facial, auditory, glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory, sublingual). Also: “The eagle’s keen eye was running secretly from the fox - fuck, I’ll be home late”. And the option is Oh, Zinochka! White-Winged Dove, I Only See You, Poor Sad Girl(only the “auditory” nerve in this saying is called “vestibular-cochlear”). And another option - “Smell, See, Move your eyes, Move the Trigeminal Block; Face, Hearing, Tongue and Throat in vain do not Fornicate. Add under the tongue"
• To remember the names and locations of the wrist bones (bones are listed in a circle):

Chemistry

Periodic table of chemical elements

To make memorization easier, a story is invented in which the elements of the periodic table become like heroes, or are used for practical purposes, for example:

“Native water (Hydrogen) was mixed with Gel (Helium) to pour (Lithium). Yes, Take and pour (Beryllium) into the pine forest (Boron), where from under the Native Corner (Carbon) Asian (Nitrogen) peeks out, and with such an Sour Face (Oxygen) that Secondary (Fluorine) I didn’t want to look at. But we didn’t need him (Neon), so we moved three (Sodium) meters away and ended up in Magnolia (Magnesium), where Alya in a mini (Aluminum) skirt was smeared with Cream (Silicon) containing Phosphorus (Phosphorus) so that she would stop to be Sera (Sera). After that, Alya took Chlorine (Chlorine) and washed the Argonauts’ ship (Argon).”

Oxidation-reduction processes

• ABOUT give - ABOUT sour, IN son-in-law - IN stop (words begin with the same letters; may be associated with “sour”, O with the empty expression on the face of a greedy person who is taking something away, and upon receiving it - V cooled, V restored).
• An oxidizing agent is a robber (during a redox reaction, the oxidizing agent gains electrons). A reducing agent is one who donates electrons. Gives it to the robber, the villain-oxidizer.

Mixing acid and water

In cases of preparing solutions of strong acids, according to safety regulations, the acid must be poured into water, but in no case vice versa. There are several mnemonic rules for remembering this laboratory technique:

Pour acid over water
It won't be long until trouble comes!

If I poured water into acid, I lost my beauty.

First the water
Then acid
Otherwise it will happen
Big trouble

Don't spit in acid!

Chemist, remember how to pour acid into water.

Valence

To remember the valency of some chemical elements, there are the following mnemonic poems:

Molarity - Normality

Often, schoolchildren are confused by the concepts of molar and normal concentration of a dissolved substance in a solution. It is obvious that they are multiples of each other and differ in the number of equivalents. For example, for hydrochloric acid they coincide, since it contains one equivalent of protons. Sulfuric acid contains two protons, and orthophosphoric acid contains three, therefore for them the molarity and normality differ by three times. For redox reactions, they differ in the number of electrons transferred. Thus, it is important to remember which of the two concentrations is greater. To do this, you can simply compare the positions of the letters M(Molarity) and N(Normality) in the Russian alphabet - N Later M, and normality is always greater than or equal to molarity.

Aldohexoses are isomers of glucose

• All Altr uists Gl adly Ma ke Gu m I n Gal lon Ta nks- allose, altrose, glucose, mannose, gulose, idose, galactose, talose

Biochemistry

Story

Once you remember the last names of the group members in this order, it is impossible to forget them (the corresponding Wikipedia article also lists them in this order).

Traffic Laws

• Two pieces of iron, two waters, hooligans and slaves- for memorizing road signs that are repeated outside populated areas: a railway crossing without a barrier, a railway crossing with a barrier (“two pieces of iron”); exit to the embankment, drawbridge (“two waters”); be careful children (“bullies”); Men at work(“slaves”)
• Traffic controller signs and permitted directions of movement:

• Interference on the right - whoever is right is right.
• To remember the rules for using fog lights: in the dark - only together with low or high beam headlights, and in conditions of poor visibility - it doesn’t matter - both separately and with low or high beam headlights:

Warfare

To defeat the enemy with the first shot (burst), it is necessary to quickly determine and take into account corrections for side winds and target movement. Manuals and manuals on shooting give the following correction values: for average shooting conditions with a moderate wind - 4 m/s, blowing at an angle of 90° to the shooting plane; for a target speed of 3 m/s for running figures and motor targets. It is impossible, and there is no need, to remember the values ​​of the table corrections for all firing ranges. In real conditions on the battlefield, the speed and direction of the wind, as well as the speed of the target, are determined approximately, by eye. Therefore, corrections can be taken into account according to the so-called mnemonic rules, which are convenient for memorization and provide sufficient accuracy for practice in preparing the initial data for shooting. Side wind corrections for small arms are conveniently determined and taken into account in target figures. The calculation is usually done in terms of the most typical target - human figures (0.5 m wide). The result can be easily recalculated in figures for other purposes. With a moderate crosswind blowing at an angle of 90° to the shooting plane, the mnemonic rules are as follows:

• For small arms chambered for mod. 1943: The wind carries a bullet the same way as throwing two away from a sight
• For small arms chambered for a rifle cartridge and a 5.45 mm caliber cartridge: The wind carries a bullet the same way as throwing two away from a sight and dividing it into two

Foreign words

Using mnemonic techniques to memorize foreign words. Usually these are words that “fall out” of memory.

English language

• Pastime (pastime). Approximate pronunciation (phonetic association) - "patime"

Mnemonic model: If several people have nothing to do, then they spend time like this - pass it back and forth, back and forth. This is how you spend your time. Thus, pastime is PASTIME. Pass time- that's pastime(pass “time” to each other)

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Mnemonics (mnemonics techniques) are special methods of memorizing certain types of information, based on the peculiarities of human psychology, as well as on the four rules of memorization that were given in previous lessons. Knowledge and use of special mnemonics will allow you to better remember digital information, specific texts and terms, names, faces and surnames, foreign words, expressions and much more. This lesson will cover the basics of mnemonics, and also describe the basic techniques and methods for memorizing various types of information.

What is mnemonics?

If you need to remember some numbers for a long time, then you can use the following mnemonics:

Association with other familiar numbers. Dale Carnegie advises remembering dates by associating them with significant dates that you know. For example, it is easy to remember that the Battle of Kulikovo took place exactly 600 years before the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow.

Shedd system (Shed system). Small numbers, e.g. historical dates or short telephone numbers, can be learned by composing a special phrase, each word in which is in a strictly defined order and has a number of letters corresponding to the memorized number. For example, if you want to remember the number 467, then you need to come up with a phrase in which the first word will consist of 4 letters, the second - of 6, and the third word - of 7 letters. Thus, the number 467 corresponds to the phrase “an elephant gallops” (4, 6 and 7 letters, respectively). A zero in this system often corresponds to a word of 10 or any number of letters.

Rhymes. It is often convenient to memorize a large number of numbers by creating rhymes or poems. This method is suitable if you need to remember certain numbers for a long time, having the opportunity to spend some time on it. This way you can easily remember which signs come after the decimal point in the number “Pi”.

Remembering names and faces

Very often we need to remember people we just met. We all tend to be kind to those who remember our name. In order to quickly and accurately remember the names and faces of people, there are the following mnemonics.

Show interest in a person, chat a little, addressing him by name. There are several memorization rules at work here. Firstly, you show interest in the person, and also receive information about him, which can serve as the basis for building associations with him. Secondly, you repeat his name several times, which also improves memorization.

Association with another person well known to you with the same name. For example, many of us will easily remember a person's name if he is your namesake. It is also easy to remember the names of people who coincide with the names of your parents and good friends. But even if you don’t know the name of the person you need to remember, try to remember famous personalities with the same names: actors, politicians, musicians.

Selection of other modifications of his name. For example, the name Alexander has several modifications: Sasha, San, Shura. Once the person has introduced himself, try silently naming several modifications of his name.

Writing the name. Think about how a person's name is written - imagine it visually. How many letters are there in this name? What is the first letter? The answers to these questions will further cement the image of the person’s name in your visual perception. If possible, you can even write the person's name on the paper to enhance the perception.

Remembering last names. You can remember last names using mnemonic techniques based on visual associations. You need to start by searching for a mental replacement or modification of the surname. For example, my surname Buyanov can be associated with Buyan Island from children's fairy tales, as well as with a violent temperament. Then some noticeable feature of the person is selected, for example, a facial feature or character trait (which is more suitable for the Buyanov surname), which needs to be tied to the selected surname association.

Memorizing foreign languages

Language mnemonics will be useful for memorizing words, expressions, grammatical rules, verb forms, etc.

Method of phonetic associations (MPA). This method appeared due to the fact that in all languages ​​of the world there are words or parts of words that sound the same, but have different meanings. Moreover, in different languages ​​there are words that have a common origin. For example, the word look can be remembered by associating it with the similar-sounding Russian word “onion.” And when cutting an onion, we cannot “look” at it, because our eyes water.

Method of interaction of all sensations (MSI). This mnemonic approach is useful for those who want to become fluent in a foreign language. If words don't come to your mind automatically, you won't be able to speak the language fluently. Therefore, the main thing is not to memorize a foreign word as a translation of a native word, but to immediately associate the foreign word directly with the corresponding concept. To learn the word “cup,” imagine a cup with a handle, and holding the image in your mind, say “cup” several times, trying not to remember the word “cup.”

Hello, dear readers!

Do you have memory problems? Do you find it difficult to remember numbers and events? Then mnemonics will help you. You don't know what this is? Then I will introduce you to this concept, and you will remember everything always.

Want to? Meet: mnemonics - techniques for memorizing number combinations, events, words based on associations.

Mnemonics as a means of memorization arose in ancient times. The Greeks were the first to notice that a person’s memory is directly related to his senses. The more impressions a person receives, the brighter the memories. Therefore, in order to remember something, you need to connect various associations.

In order for memory to retain some words or numbers for a long time, it is necessary to replace facts and objects with concepts and ideas that have kinesthetic, visual and auditory representation. In other words, we replace dry facts in our minds with more vivid and impressive images.

Mnemonics gives amazing results. You will be able to remember hundreds of phone numbers, grammar rules, jokes, outlines, etc. Want to try? Then let's begin.

Remember numbers using mnemonics

If you need to learn a large number of numbers (car license plates, telephone numbers, mathematical operations), you can choose one of your favorite memorization methods using mnemonics.

• Alphanumeric code. The technique is based on the fact that each of the numbers from 0 to 9 is assigned a letter corresponding to the name of the number, for example: 1 - p (times), zero - n, etc. To remember a large number, you need to break it down into pairs of numbers and assign a letter to each. Then words are formed with these letters: 58-53 (PV-PT - Peacock Got Lost). It’s best to come up with a few sentences or a coherent text, then memorization will go much better.
• "Hanger". This unusual technique, which consists in coming up with a consonant or associative series for each word. Then a story or fairy tale is composed with these words. To make it easier to memorize, you can use rhymes, for example: one is master, two is head, etc. Sometimes numbers are represented as one curve of buttons on a phone.

• Combining images and numbers. This technique refers to the form of writing the number. For example, one looks like a pole or pencil, zero looks like the sun, etc. Then the found images are combined into some interesting, memorable story.
• O'Brien Method. It is similar to the previous ones and consists in assigning to each number the image of a famous person.

Use only one method! Don't try to use everything at once! This is very difficult and not productive. The techniques are designed for short-term memorization.

They are good if you need to quickly prepare for an exam or other important event. You will not be able to learn all physics or mathematics using this method. Although, who knows?

Learning foreign languages ​​using mnemonics

One of the biggest challenges in studying foreign languages is memorizing words. Unfortunately, traditional cramming does not always bear fruit. In order not only to remember the sound and meaning of a word, but also to be able to recall it at the right moment in a conversation and apply it in practice, use the following memorization algorithm:

1. Create an image based on the word.
2. Connect the image with the meaning of the word by association.
3. Retrieve the image from memory at the right moment and restore the sound of the word.

Let's look at the example of learning English words using the technique of mnemonics, since this language is most in demand today in international communication.

Here's an example: owl in English language means "owl". It is similar to the Russian word “aul”, which means “eastern settlements”. Imagine that an owl is flying around a village. Restore this image at the right moment, and the sound will come to you by itself.

It is better to create such “memories” yourself. This way they will be stored in memory because they were invented by you.

However, if you don’t have enough imagination and time to think about each word, you can use ready-made techniques. The images have already been invented for you: you just put them into practice.

Many modern mnemonics teachers claim that if you master the technique perfectly, you can memorize 100 words per hour. Is this real?

Reviews on various forums from people who attended mnemonics seminars say that the technique really works. However, you need to adapt to it and tune your brain. Not every one of us is ready to look in a dictionary and invent some ridiculous stories and then remember them!

Techniques for remembering historical facts using mnemonics

Who among us has not suffered from the fact that he needs to prepare history papers for an exam, but it is not possible to remember all the dates and events? This is because you did not use mnemonics techniques to prepare for your history exam. Here you can combine several methods at once.

First you need to understand that history is not just dates, but their specific sequence. To remember them in order, you need to make a series of associations.

Let's look at an example. Let's assume that we are faced with the task of mastering the date of the death of Byzantium - 1453.

1. We compose a number-letter code. To do this, we assign a letter to each number. The path will be 4-chsch, 5-pb, 3-kh. Together we come up with a word, say, Sliver. You can take other notations and create them yourself.
2. Next we encode according to consonance. Byzantium is in tune with the plastic visa card.
3. As a reference to the empire, we present the imperial crown.

We connect all the elements in our imagination. Let this be the card number in the corner and its type - crown.

At the right moment, imagine a map and decipher this image. Believe me, it will be easy to do.

Does mnemonics work?

Many, looking at the chain of associations that they have to carry out, will say that it is too difficult. To remember a single date or a series of numbers, you have to invent whole stories.

At first, this process seems labor-intensive, since it requires straining the imagination, and we do this in Everyday life not so often. But after a few practices, memorization will come naturally.

Mnemonic chains really work. The fact is that our memory prefers to store not dry facts and nothing meaningful words and numbers, but images. Today this scientific fact is available to everyone, but we do not use it for our own benefit.

In ancient times, the Egyptian priests had a so-called “science of imagery.” It was a secret teaching, carefully kept from ordinary people. Why is image so important to us?

If you carefully follow your train of thought, you will understand that you think not in words or numbers, but in images. If a word is associated with a concept, you will remember it easily, and it may even make you feel a certain way.

It's the same with numbers. We even perceive the people around us as certain images they created.

Why not create an image yourself to remember? Gradually you will get used to this line of thinking and will not be able to exist without it. Mnemonics will be your best assistant.

Today this science is even taught in some schools. Not intentionally. Maybe we can raise a generation with unusual abilities. But for quick counting they use a different technique - .