The results from my last chapter test were dismal and I am determined to perform better this time. I was under too much stress to learn anything this week, so I opted for memorization instead of understanding. I wanted to find the the latest memorization techniques and procrastinate with cause, so I turned to the internet.

I found Leo Fuchigami and hackmystudy.com. His motto is “be smart. be different”. He proposes that there are four methods of memorization that fit different types of information.

1. Chunking is used to memorize large amounts of information, verbatim. I used this technique for the formulas because the ideal chunk size is 3-4 units. This is the size of most equations and phone numbers. Apparently our brain can hold infinite amounts of information if it is broken into bite-sized pieces.

2. Visualization is effective because our brains are good at remembering pictures. I used this technique to imagine orbitals, the behavior of electromagnetic waves, and the patterns within the Periodic Table.

3. Multiple Interpretation is a mixed media approach, where the same information is presented repeatedly using alternative interpretations. This explains why Rihanna’s songs get stuck in my head. I reviewed the ABCTE material, read a text book from the local High School, and watched more episodes from the Kahn Academy.

4. The only technique that I didn’t use this week was Mnemonic. Nothing rhymed with deBroglie or Schrodinger and I couldn’t create any acronyms that apply to the complex beauty of Chapter Two: Atomic Structure, Periodicity, and Matter.

Wow. Maybe I learned something this week after all.

Next Week: The Test

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