Week 3-Memorizing Terms

Whether you are studying for a quiz on the chemical symbols for each element or the names of each bone in a human body, I find the best way to remember these things is to associate each item with something you have an interest or are familiar with. For instance, the symbol for tin is Sn. Now many elements use just the first letter of the element as the symbol for it, like O for oxygen or N for nitrogen. This is not the case with tin though. Many years ago I thought of a way to remember Sn was the symbol for tin. If you like golf, there's a famous golfer by the name of Sam Snead. Anyway, Mr. Snead hits golf balls into cups on the green, that is, "tin cups". That's how I remember it to this day. Try doing these associations yourself. The more personal it is to you, the more likely you'll remember the reference. It works!

Ken

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