Pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle (the diameter is twice the radius). The processing of this number is often used as a criterion for evaluating the power of "supercomputers"; mathematicians currently know about 10 billion digits of pi. The people who hold the world record are capable of reciting tens of thousands of digits; Russian neurosurgeon Andriy Slyusarchuk claims to have memorized 30 million digits, and it takes 347 days of uninterrupted declamation to recite them all. Impressive!
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Group the Digits
Step 1. Create a table
Write the pi with as many digits as you hope to memorize. Once written, group them into even numbers by dividing them with brackets.
It starts with groups of four digits: (3, 141) (5926) (5358) (9793) (2384) (6264) (3383) and so on
Step 2. Start with small groups
When you have to memorize something, it is always good to start small and gradually increase. Just like with weight lifting or sprinting, you have to do a lot of sets and repetitions without overdoing it; don't try to overload your mind by trying to remember 100 digits at a time.
Start with four four-digit groups. You can build up to ten groups of four, working gradually. Then change the way you say the numbers to five eight-digit groups. The total amount of digits you have memorized does not change, but you practice remembering larger groups and you will be able to add more and more "streaks"
Step 3. Memorize the first cadence of each number from 0 to 9
This can help you remember which digit comes next if you are trying to recite pi. For example, you can remember that the first digit after the decimal point is 1 and that the first appears at the 32nd digit after the decimal point.
Step 4. Try to group digits such as phone numbers
Many of the techniques of memorization or "mnemonics" exploit the principle that it is easier to remember things with a logical sense than a complex sequence of digits. If you can divide the digits of pi into groups of ten, then you can organize them like phone numbers, easier to remember: Antonio (314) 159-2653, Beatrice (589) 793-2384, Carlo (626) 433- 8327 and so on.
If you associate each ten-digit group with a name and keep an alphabetical order, then you'll be sure to remember the first 260 digits. Over time you will be able to expand and complete the "phone book"
Step 5. Add details to match the list
This is how professionals can not only memorize the digits in order, but are also able to remember separate groups: Ada (314)159-2653 (Ada consists of 3 letters and the sequence starts with "3 ").
- Also try to use real names and associate them with real or fictional things that have a correlation with the name. The stronger the mental associations between numbers and the list of names, the easier it will be to remember the numbers.
- You can also combine this technique with phonetic conversion and mental associations which will be analyzed later.
Step 6. Write the groups on flashcards
Take them with you wherever you go throughout the day to practice memorizing and reciting numbers. When you are able to remember each group, keep adding more until you reach your goal.
Method 2 of 2: Using Word and Sound Substitutions
Step 1. Write the sentences in "pilish"
This invented "language" associates a number of pi to the number of letters that make up a word. For example: "Can Isis's hatred swear at a broken sphinx?" = 314159265 in pilish. In 1996 Mike Keith wrote a short story called "Cadaeic Cadenza", in which 3800 digits were encoded. Keith also developed a method of using words longer than 10 letters to represent a sequence of numbers.
Step 2. Write poems in pilish
These are called with an English neologism "piem" and are composed of words that encode pi according to the pilish technique. Most often, these poems are rhymed for ease of memorization and have a title consisting of three letters to represent the number 3, the digit with which pi begins.
Here is a piem: It is not given to everyone to remember the golden number of the great philosopher Archimedes. Some argue that such a number can be remembered, but these then only recite a foolish hundred
Step 3. Create rhymes to help you remember
Many memorization techniques used by students have been developed over the years and allow you to remember different digits of pi. Thanks to the rhyme and a constant pattern you are able to memorize numbers.
- There are many songs and poems that help you remember using the same technique.
- Do some research online and you will find many songs, often in English, that you can hum to remember the digits of pi.
- Try writing a song of your own, in rhyme, that allows you to memorize the numbers.
Step 4. Learn to memorize with phonetic conversion
This technique is used by the best mnemonics in the world. You need to replace each digit or group of digits with a corresponding word that sounds similar and perhaps be able to construct a story or series of correlations with these words.
Advice
- Memorize groups of digits, instead of learning them one at a time.
- If you say the numbers with a certain "chant" you will memorize the sequence more quickly.
- Thinking about the numbers before bed or while in your car can help.
- Write the pi on a small card, and whenever you get the chance, sit down and memorize a part of it.
- Pick a song you know and try to list as many digits as you can along the beat.
- Set yourself a goal and, if you can, try to surpass it.
