Kyle Buchanan - Memorize the Periodic Table: The Fast and Easy Way to Memorize Chemical Elements

Memorize the Periodic Table

The Fast and Easy Way to Memorize Chemical Elements

ByKyle Buchanan & Dean Roller

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Copyright 2013 MemoryWorldwide Pty Ltd

Table of Contents

Memorize the Elements

Introduction

You are about to memorize the chemicalelements of the periodic table faster than you ever thought possible.

How do I know this? Because Iveexperienced exactly the same thing.

When I was younger I had to learn a lot ofnew information too. Whether it was chemical element names for Chemistry,quotes from Shakespeare for English, or the theories of marketing at college, itall had to be known by heart.

And so, I did what everyone else did. Iwent over the material again and again. And again. And eventually it wouldstick, for a short time at least. It wont be a revelation to you that learningin that way is boring and hard. Its no fun at all. Repetition is dull, dull,dull.

The turning point came when I saw someonememorize a deck of playing cards. Unless you count cards at a casino its notan especially practical skill. But I couldnt help thinking how easily I could studyand learn new information, if only I had a memory like that.

It turns out so called memory expertsarent any different to you or me. Their brains are exactly the same. Theyrenot any smarter and their memories arent any better than yours or mine. What!?Its true. The only difference is theyve learnt how to harness the potentialof their memory using simple mnemonic techniques. (Hint: Ditch the m whentrying to say that word! It is pronounced nemonic).

I spent years of school and college beatingmy head repeatedly against various textbooks, when I could have been memorizingthat same information quickly and effectively? And it wouldnt have beenboring? And Id actually be able to remember it all now? Doh!

Bottom line, memorizing any information effectivelyis based on mental imagery. These mnemonic techniques have been around for overtwo thousand years, and theres 50 years of university research which provestheir validity.

For a free research report which summarizesthese studies and methods, contact us at www.MemorizePeriodicTable.com

Its an exhilarating feeling when youunearth a talent you didnt know you had. Imagine how youd feel if one day yousuddenly realized you could paint like Monet or Picasso. Thats what it waslike when I discovered how easily I could remember anything. I memorized theperiodic table, presidents, prime ministers and anything else, all because itwas so easy. It was fun! I know, it sounds weird, right?

The primary mistake when trying to memorizeis to use repetition and rote learning. People think its the only way toremember new information. But its not the only way, and its rarely the mosteffective way either.

I became obsessed with researching mnemonictechniques and teaching other people how to use their memory properly.

In Memorize the Periodic Table weve gonea step further than simply teaching you a technique. Rather than explain how tocreate visual memory stories which your memory can grab onto, weve written thestories for you.

By simply visualizing each story and imageas you read it, your amazing memory will do the rest. Each image will remindyou of a chemical element, and will link to the element following on theperiodic table.

You will be astonished at how quicklyyoure able to memorize the entire periodic table.

We hope you enjoy discovering your memoryis truly amazing.

How to Use this Book

The golden rule for using this book is: Createa clear mental picture of each image described.

It really is that simple. You dont need totry and remember anything. Imagine each object, action or picture describedas if you were seeing it right in front of you, and then trust your memory. Dontjust read the words; actually visualize the image theyre describing. As youget used to doing this youll be stunned at how easily youll be able to recalleverything you visualized.

Each word you want to memorize isrepresented by an image. Sometimes this is easy to do. For example, if I seethe word Gold, I automatically picture a shiny gold colored bar of theprecious metal.

But some elements are less easilyvisualized. The name Manganese doesnt represent a physical object you immediatelysee in your mind. So what if you picture your knees with mangos on them? Mangoknees remind you instantly of the word Manganese.

By substituting words for images in thisway, youll be able to picture every element name you want to memorize.

To link each name/image with the onefollowing, well associate them using a ridiculous story. In the world of memorymnemonics, this is called the Link and Story Method. The stories are silly andexaggerated to help you remember them.

When you clearly imagine the visual storythat links each separate picture, youll link each word together and keep themin the correct order.

Again, always clearly visualizeeverything described, and your memory will naturally do the rest for youwith surprisingly little effort.

The Link and Story Method used in this bookwill enable you to recite all the elements of the periodic table in order. Ifyou wish to also quickly recall the atomic number of particular elements, youcan read the final chapter on Remembering Atomic Numbers.

Youll quickly demonstrate to yourself howmuch quicker this method of memorizing is than repetition and rote learning.But you will still need to complete some mental rehearsal of your memory storyto ensure the information is permanently transferred to your long term memory.

How often should you revise your newlyacquired knowledge?

Its recommended you replay and revise yourmental movie five times. Ideally, first do this ten minutes after learningthe story; then one day afterwards; one week later; one month later; and againin three to six months time. Simply press play on your mental movie andensure you can still clearly see each mental image.

And thats how easy youll find memorizingthe periodic table. Create a clear mental picture of every image described, andrun through your visual story five times in the months ahead.

Trust me, if youre anything like me,youll run through your story many more times in the days ahead because youllbe so excited at how easily you can do it.

Hydrogen to Neon (Elements 1-10)

Lets begin by picturing a typical posteror chart of the periodic table. There are many small, colorful squares, eachwith a name, number and symbol of an element, and together they create a largeirregular shape.

This image will act as an anchor in yourmemory, holding down the chain of images which link together all the elements.

Now well take that colorful poster andattach it to the first element. Picture that poster of the periodic table andimagine its wrapped around a water hydrant.

Why a water hydrant?

1. Hydrogen

The 1st element in the periodictable is Hydrogen. Hydrogen sounds similar to hydrant and thatshow youre going to remember it. Picture a water hydrant you see on thesidewalk. Its short, stubby, red, and looks strong. The hydrant is like alittle man with a small hat on top and stubby arms sticking out the side.

Imagine that hydrant with the chart of theperiodic table wrapped around it. When you think of the chart of the periodictable, youll picture it wrapped around a water hydrant. Because hydrant soundssimilar to hydrogen, youll know the 1st element in the table is Hydrogen.

2. Helium

The 2nd element is Helium. Ifyoure like me, when you think of Helium