Page 147 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

Use the Memory Palace
Top anatomy professor Tracey Magrann applies the memory palace technique to learning
the five layers of the epidermis:

“The epidermis has five layers. From deep to superficial, they are the stratum basale,
stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum. To
remember which one is the deepest layer, visualize your basement. That is the stratum
basale. To get from your basement (deepest layer) to the roof (superficial layer), walk up
your basement stairs . . . be careful! They are covered with cactus spines (stratum
spinosum). That leads you to the kitchen, where someone has spilled granulated sugar all
over the floor (stratum granulosum). Then you go upstairs and stop to put on suntan lotion
before you go to the roof. The stratum lucidum is like a layer of suntan lotion because it
protects you from UV rays but is present only on the palms and soles, so that’s where you
picture yourself applying the lotion. Now you are ready to go to the roof and enjoy a nice
corn on the cob (stratum corneum).”
Can you think of a way to use the memory palace in your studies?

Songs that help cement ideas in your mind are related to the memory palace
technique in that they also make preferential use of the brain’s right hemisphere.
There are tunes to help you remember the quadratic formula, volume formulas
for geometric figures, and many other types of equations. Just Google “quadratic
formula” and “song” for examples, or make up your own. Many nursery rhymes
use actions along with song to help embed the lyrics (think of “Little Bunny Foo

Foo”). Using meaningful motions, from a prance to a jiggle to an itty-bitty hop,
can offer even more neural hooks to hold ideas in memory because movement
produces sensations that become part of the memory.
These kinds of techniques can be helpful for many things beyond equations,
concepts, and grocery lists. Even speeches and presentations—those
occasionally petrifying do-or-die experiences—can become much easier when

you realize that potentially memorable images can help the key concepts you
want to speak about stay in mind. All you need to do is tie the essential ideas you
want to talk about to memorable images. See Joshua Foer’s masterful TED talk
for a demonstration of the memory palace technique for remembering speeches. 6
If you’d like to see how to apply these ideas directly to memorizing formulas, try
out the SkillsToolbox .com website for a list of easy-to-remember visuals for
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mathematical symbols. (For example, the divide symbol “/” is a children’s
slide.)
Memory aids—whether memorable images, sticky songs, or easily imagined