March 28, 2024, 07:45:11 PM
Forum Rules: Read This Before Posting


Topic: Retaining/Memorization Tips???  (Read 8283 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Ida Isotope

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25
  • Mole Snacks: +1/-1
Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« on: September 01, 2009, 02:27:40 PM »
One of my weakest points is retaining information or memorizing. I know there isn't alot of it Chemistry but when it is needed I tend to fail miserably.  :(

For example....knowing catalysts and reagents for synthesis reactions....I always mix them up.

Does anyone have any tips or exercises I can do to help myself?

Offline renge ishyo

  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 403
  • Mole Snacks: +67/-14
Re: Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2009, 01:47:53 AM »
For memorization I use repetition. Usually the way this works is I will break up my notes into small little groups. I will work one group at a time and read the notes for this group over a few times. Then I will go over the notes in my mind without looking at anything at all (by closing my eyes or whatnot). If I forgot certain things without looking I will then go over the notes again from scratch to re-imprint the things I missed and keep following this pattern until I can consistently go through the notes in my head without looking at all. Then I move onto the next group of notes and do the same thing. When I am done with the next group, I then review both groups together in my head one after the other to make sure that I can still do the first group along with the second.

I build things up in this manner one group at all time followed by reviews of all the previous groups together after each new group until I am through with the notes. Then I start the same process over *backwards* starting with the last group I learned the previous time and working towards the first group I had started with. Usually this is enough. I have been able to memorize ridiculously large amounts of information this way, but I admit that it is a time consuming way to go about things (but hey, whatever works).

Offline Ida Isotope

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25
  • Mole Snacks: +1/-1
Re: Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2009, 11:27:40 PM »
Thank you...I will give this a try!

Offline Fridushka

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 120
  • Mole Snacks: +17/-9
  • Gender: Female
Re: Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2009, 04:07:00 AM »
Also you can try to have logical connection between the names of reagents and of the catalysts. For example, the first letters..you make a new word with the first letter, and memorize only the new word that you made and know which of them stand for what..
Hope it will help:)
Good luck

Offline Donut

  • New Member
  • **
  • Posts: 6
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
Re: Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2009, 10:02:59 PM »

I build things up in this manner one group at all time followed by reviews of all the previous groups together after each new group until I am through with the notes. Then I start the same process over *backwards* starting with the last group I learned the previous time and working towards the first group I had started with.

Repetition is definately the best way to study. When I'm doing this sort of revision I find that doing them backwards or all mixed up is the true test of whether you have retained the information, otherwise I just remember the pattern and cannot recall the fact without having to go through all the previous points haha.

Offline Hemidol

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 68
  • Mole Snacks: +2/-2
  • Rune of Punishment
Re: Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2009, 12:18:36 AM »
One of the greatest memory techniques I ever discovered was the Method of Loci. It is a bit complex to develop, however once you have mastered the technique, it is very powerful.

Offline mir

  • Fascinated organic chemist
  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 310
  • Mole Snacks: +13/-3
  • Gender: Male
  • Visit my blog: mir.humle.be
    • My humble homepage with norwegian articles
Re: Retaining/Memorization Tips???
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2009, 02:49:52 PM »
I sometimes use anagrams in remembering. Try to make funny or easily pictured anagrams, like "Insect-y" for the amino acid Cysteine, "Emotion-I" for Metionine, "Raining" for Arginine. usually they don't match exactly. I also use the first letter of each member and put them into a easy to picture word, like "KIK-AID-KMEK" for the protein families involved in Glycolysis or "GLAMVIP" for the aliphatic aminoacids (Glycine, Leucine, Alanine, Metionine, Valine, Isoleucine and Proline). Other times I make whole words from the first letter of each member of the list and put them into a funny or tragic sentence. When I do the latter I try to make the connection of the words more obvious to the original member of the list. Like involving as many common letters as possible.
No single thing abides, but all things flow.
Fragment to fragment clings, and thus they grow
Until we know and name them.
Then by degrees they change and are no more
The things we know.
- Titus Lucretius Carus

http://www.ife.no

Sponsored Links