mnemonic devices

[Newptor]

A mnemonic device is a tool used to remember something.

I was thinking that it might be interesting for us to learn any little tricks used by others to remember things.

here are two I use that come immediately to mind:

The Great Lakes
Spell the word homes. I learned this one from one of my teachers. I think it was 5th grade geography.
Huron
Ontario
Michigan
Erie
Superior

The fate of Henry VIII's Wives
Divorced, beheaded, died;
divorced, beheaded, survived

1 Catherine of Aragon - Divorced in 1533.
2 Anne Boleyn - Beheaded in 1536.
3 jane Seymore - Died of natural causes in 1537.
4 Anne of Cleves - Divorced in 1540.
5 kathryn Howard - Beheaded in 1542.
6 Katherine Parr - survived as a widow after the death of the king in 1547

Anybody else?

[GermainZ]

Wikipedia has some interesting examples.

• To remember the colours of the rainbow, use the mnemonic "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain".
• HOMES to help people remember the names of all of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.)
• Black, Brown, Red, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Violet, Gray and White. Black represents zero, Brown represnts one, and so on until white represents nine. (for electronics)
• The first 15 digits of the mathematical constant pi (3.14159265358979) can be encoded as "How I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics"

[Newptor]

The world has smart people and dumb people. I'm guessing that I must not be in the first catagory because I just don't get how that PI one works.

[GermainZ]

How: 3 letters
I: 1 letter
Need: 4 letters
And so on...

Gives you 3.14...

[Newptor]

*Salutes the smart person. Thank you.

[GermainZ]

*Salutes the smart person. Thank you.

Sorry, it was my fault in the first place.. forgot about the first rule that clearly states not to confuse Newpy.

[Tnaid]

The scales of music....Every Good Boy Does Fine

and.....um.....i forget the other one

[LadyMariana]

The scales of music....Every Good Boy Does Fine

and.....um.....i forget the other one

Ahh yes. Those lovely things I was taught Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, but that's just me so *shrug*

Other one is FACE. Just to clarify though they's not scales; they represent the notes found on the lines and spaces of the staff when the music is written in treble clef. (Think that thing is called a staff... don't remember rightly so if not then do correct me).

Ones for bass clef is All Cows Eat Grass (spaces) and Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always (lines). Of course, you may know them different but eh, you get the drift.

Also, the one for the planets... My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. (Not sure if they count Pluto anymore though.. might just go to Neptune now, although you could still use it: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos )

[AbstractAngel]

Multiplications and the number 9. I used to use this as a kid when I first was learning multiplication.

Take both your hands, and whatever the number you want to multiple into nine is, in order, put that finger down. It will reveal the answer.

For instance:

9 X 2 = 18

So hold all your fingers up (including thumbs to all the smart alecs), and put down your "second" finger down (representing the 9X2). You will now see that before the finger is the first digit (1), and after is the second digit (8). so for quick, simple, "I can't do this in my head yet" multiplications into 9 (under ten).

[Newptor]

So, now people are walking by and seeing an idiot with his hands in the air, bending this finger down, then another and babbling something about his mother and pizza.

Good stuff.