This technique works best for remembering numerical lists of items or persons, generally up to 10, though it can be used for longer sequences. Each number from one to 10 is connected to a mental image, the name of which typically rhymes with the number. So you could pair a bee hive with the number five and the number two with a shoe. Then for each item on the list, construct a second image that links to the rhyming object. So if you were trying to remember that Washington was the second item on a given list, you could form an image in which a shoe – for two – was put in the wash.
Long sequences of numbers become easier to remember if you first split the sequence into manageable chunks. A 12-number sequence, for instance, can be split into four chunks of three numbers. Concentrate on learning each chunk at a time. It also helps if, for each chunk, you can find a pattern. So if one chunk is 010, you could mentally associate it with binary computer code to help remember it.
If you want to remember a relatively short sequence, you can simply make up a sentence-long rhyme that includes that number and which is then easier to learn as a result. This is especially useful for four-number sequences as you can turn them into years in the rhyme. For example, you might remember that in 2002, the sky was blue.
When you’re looking at a particular number sequence that you wish to learn, analyze it for mathematical trivia and patterns. Many numbers have properties that, when realized, make them easier to learn. For example, as the Plus Magazine website notes, 1729 is interesting because it’s the smallest number that’s the sum of two different pairings of cubes. A longer number can sometimes be broken down into a patterned sequence. For example, you might find that a 10-digit number becomes five pairs of two numbers that increase numerically as you progress through the sequence.
Even if you’re examining a huge number, like pi, there’s an opportunity to construct a story that’ll aid in memory. Pick apart the sequence into smaller chunks and find a memorable property of each; it could be that four numbers in a row are odd, for example. Then learn each interesting fact and what it means, thus establishing a mathematical narrative.