Using Mnemonics – Examples – Here is how I do it

When I first heard of this, I thought of it as weird and odd but it eventually worked out in the end. Through the power of mental association, you have the ability to attach a word, person, or thing to foreign content as a means of helping you remember the information. As an example, in my chemistry class, the main way that I remembered that Krypton was one of the seven noble gases was by associating it with Superman’s home planet which shares the same name.

I use very silly word associations to remember everything from biological concepts to vocabulary words. For example, I recently had to memorize Spanish words, including the word “el reclamo,” which means demand. I first noticed
that it has the word “clam” in it, so I spent the entire time that I was studying saying to myself “the clam demands,” and it worked. I also remembered the word “mermado” based on mermaids, and started associating the word “teachers” with “magic” to remember “elmagisterio.”

I use this same strategy for more complex things like processes, which most people don’t think works. For example, action potentials in neurons and the membranes of muscle cells are triggered by sodium, chemical symbol Na, entering the cell, and the process ends when potassium exits. I had trouble remembering which ion went in, and which went out. So, I wrote “Nain” and “Potout” in my notes. To me, that was a totally normal way to memorize that.

However, a friend of mine looked at my notes and asked if I’d had a stroke when writing it. Even after I explained what it meant, they still couldn’t’ believe that that gibberish meant anything to me, let alone helped me learn. I had never realized how differently my brain works, but since then, I’ve noticed it in a lot of things. For example, I do math much differently from other people.

For example, when adding in my head, I add however many it takes to get to the next multiple of 10, then subtract the number I just used.

Everyone studies in their own way and has their own strategies to excel, and now, I have one too. Rather than spend all day glued to my desk doing nothing, I study. I feel the need to clarify; no, I do not suddenly enjoy reading pages on pages about the Krebs cycle. However, I do make myself acronyms and mnemonics that make me laugh, and as a teeny tiny side effect, also remember what I need to about a certain topic. For instance, let me explain to you how I memorize the Krebs cycle.

NaC, NaC, Ga, Fa, Na!

Try saying that out loud. Sounds like some sort of alien language, I know, but bear with me. A common question regarding the Krebs cycle, asks what the net energy production is, in a single cycle. Here is how I remember it. The ‘Na’ stands for NADH, the ‘C’ stands for CO₂, the ‘Ga’ stands for GTP, the ‘Fa’ stands for FADH₂. There are 3 ‘Na’ in the mnemonic, telling me that 3 molecules of NADH are produced; the 2 ‘C’ tells me that 2 molecules of ‘CO₂’ are produced; the single ‘Ga’ lets me know that 1 GTP molecule has been produced and the ‘Fa’ tells me that 1 molecule of FADH₂ has been produced.

NaC, NaC, Ga, Fa, Na!!

I do not feel the need to “study” all day for a test, because now when I do study, I also make myself laugh, which only further helps me understand and remember, and also keeps me engaged. Would you look at that; I have made the oh so boring Krebs cycle, significantly more bearable.