If there’s one subject that taunts kids as schools and adults at universities, it’s definitely math. While some people find it enjoyable, others resent its difficulty and complexity. But if you actually think about it, mathematics is rather simple. It is a set of rules and logical equations that all add up eventually –– for the most part. Sure, at first glance, it is never easy, but with practice and concentration, it might just become your favourite. The problem with mathematics often isn’t about understanding the topics, but rather memorizing the formulas needed.
These approaches will help you memorize mathematical formulas with ease.
Familiarize and understand
You can’t just memorize the formula at first glance. You need to first familiarize yourself with what you’re dealing with for this part of your curriculum. Read up on that particular formula, what it does, and why you need it. This will help you pave the way to knowing it by heart, and it will help you understand its purpose, which in turn makes it much easier to memorize it. Never try to memorize an entire list of formulas without understanding what each one stands for and when as well as how you can use it. Most will not stick, and you’ll wake up the next day remembering one or two, if you are lucky.
Work on your concentration levels
This isn’t exactly a direct way to memorize mathematical formulas, but it’s the most important angle of you doing so. Math in general requires a great deal of focus and concentration so your mind can absorb the input and process it. Memorizing equations and formulas requires even more focus, and you’ll need to work on your concentration levels to get to the point where you could learn equations in a few minutes. Get rid of any distractions while studying mathematics, and make sure you avoid social media or any other outside noise that might disrupt your focus.
Using the right tech
Over the years, technology has evolved beyond our wildest dreams. This affected all walks of life, and there is practically a technological solution for everything now, including your venture into the world of mathematics. As explained on calculatorbee.com, an online calculator might just be the one thing you need to help you memorize mathematical equations. A solution that could solve anything and give you the results will definitely make a difference in your efforts to memorize a certain formula now that you know where it could lead to.
Mnemonic devices
Yes, this works, even for adults. A mnemonic device works like a charm because they are easily remembered. It’s basically a clue that relates to the formula at hand and will help you remember it whenever needed. For instance, one of the most famous ones is ‘SOH CAH TOA,’ which signifies the fact that ‘sine’ equals the length of opposite over the length of the hypotenuse, ‘cosine’ is adjacent over hypotenuse, and ‘tangent’ is the length of opposite over adjacent. This simple mnemonic device will help you remember such a rule quite easily, because it’s quite memorable and will immediately bring back the formula.
Practice
Like anything else in life, you need to practice learning and memorizing those formulas. But you need to do it wisely, and keep realistic expectations. You are not going to glance at a formula at night and wake up remembering it, and that is quite normal. It takes time and constant practice for a mathematical formula to really stick, and that is something you need to keep in mind so you don’t get frustrated.
Try various techniques
It is important that you try out different things if you want to memorize mathematical formulas. You can’t just rely on your reading if you really want the formula to be remembered after a day or two. Write them down and speak the formulas out loud so that you could hear yourself memorizing them. Using your different senses helps and it makes it much easier to remember things.
Memory palace
One of the most powerful memory techniques out there is creating a memory palace. While the premise is simple, it needs a lot of practice. What you need to do is think of a place you know by heart –– your home or school, for example. Then, assign different parts of each formula to different items in that place. So, for instance, your bed is the energy formula, the gaming computer is the gravity equation, and so on.
Mathematical formulas can be quite fun if you learn and understand them, but that won’t happen overnight. Give yourself enough time to practice, and you will find that mathematics will soon become one of your favourite subjects.