How to Memorise Formulae
In the 2022 Summer maths exams, the formulae will be given to the students on a handout for use during the exam. For the most part, this is acknowledgment that this year group has had a lot of disruption. If you’ve had that news, it might seem a little strange to you that I’m writing a post all about how to memorise formulae.
This exception has been made for this year group, but it is likely that it will not be done in future years. Other year groups will need to learn them, as will anyone who studies maths beyond GCSE level. There is no guarantee that you won’t need to have memorised them for those exams. It also makes it easier when doing questions to be able to recall the formula.
To help you get the advantage, here are some of my top tips for learning formulae:
Know what the letters stand for
There are quite a lot of standard letters that we use, and they are not always obvious. You also need to know if they are capitalised as this can change what something represents.
For example:
- m – represents gradient in the equation y=mx+c
- c – represents the y-intercept in the equation y=mx+c
- s for speed, when d is for distance
BUT if you are doing the SUVAT equations, which are taught at GCSE then s is distance, u is initial velocity (speed) and v is final velocity (speed)
Use your learning styles
We all have different VARK learning styles and you will be a mixture of both. The best way to learn is to use all of them, but if you are predominately a visual learner then you will want strategies that are very visual.
For example I use these visuals for mean, median and mode:
If you don’t know your VARK learning style, get my FREE e-book and discover yours today. I’ve even thrown in a plethora of actionable strategies for you to get you started!
Use songs and rhymes
You’d be surprised how many formulae can be sung to songs. One of the most challenging formula at GCSE is the quadratic formula, but it fits to the tune of pop goes the weasel. It’s annoying but it works!
Some songs are good at explaining what the letters stand for too. I love this song to understand circles, and it’s catchy!
Use the forgetting curve to your advantage
The forgetting curve is how we learn! After we’ve learnt something you forget 50% of it within 1 hour. Each time you go over it, you forget it a bit less. You need to space out your learning, maybe leaving it a day, then two days, and then a week. By the time you come to revision for exams you will only need a quick refresh. Do this with formulae and you’ll soon know them.
Practice, Practice, Practice
It’s no use learning the formulae and then not being able to apply it. Make sure you do plenty of practice applying the formula. This helps in two different ways, firstly you can spot which formula to use and secondly it will help you remember them.
If you want more ideas on remembering you can get my e-book ‘6 TopTips to Help Your Child Remember Their Learning’ for free! Just click the button below!