Engineering Memory: On learning to memorize first 100 digits of pi (2024)

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• Hacker News
• If Socrates were alive today, he'd encourage engineers to internalise the spigot algorithm

  Then, like a MENTAT, they'd be able to tell you the 16afedf97fd4th digit of pi when prod

  In hex, naturally https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey%E2%80%93Borwein%E2%80%9...

  >The BBP formula gives rise to a spigot algorithm for computing the nth base-16 (hexadecimal) digit of π (and therefore also the 4nth binary digit of π) WITHOUT computing the preceding digits.

  by oliculipolicula
• These memory trick posts are always interesting to read for someone with Aphantasia. Most of the tricks require visualization which is impossible for me. Memory palace means I have to now remember double the things. The rooms in the house and the thing I've placed in the room.
  by zeezer0
• I also read moonwalking with Einstein and it's such a great read that I committed to memorizing the first digits of Pi. Which I did using my own custom PAO system.

  And then the payoff... When I would tell people I could recite the first 100 digits of Pi they would be interested and say I want to hear it. So I would start and after about 20 numbers they would just say I believe you and that would be it. So I let that skill lapse.

  I think my new talent would be better spent memorizing my credit card numbers and driver's license ID.

  by ElijahLynn
• NASA requires 15 decimals of pi for interplanetary navigation. On the range of 16 bn miles to Voyager 1 it gives them calculations being off by 0.6 inch. For universe-sized circles they need 37 decimals of pi.

  Trying to remember 100 digits of pi won't give you any advantage in cognitive functions apart from memorizing 100 digits of pi, for a little while. Better spend your time elsewhere.

  https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/how-many-decimals-of-pi-do...

  by HackerThemAll
• None of these techniques are new, they were just described here in $50 words and in triple the time necessary.

  I can teach you right now, the first 50 digits of Pi, after the 3 and the comma. And with almost zero effort. Just memorize the text below...

  Congrats you little, little genius.

  # ===========================================================

  "A poem I write carefully to encode every new digit silently, reminding curious beginners how we can decipher each number in hidden text you see.

  Whenever you go through beautiful green wilderness at midnight, remember when I carefully recited a simple paragraph and practiced repeating the numbers again; I remembered."

  # ===========================================================

  by Betelbuddy
• In 1999 when I was about 12, I memorized 120 digits of pi with little issue. I had some extra motivation: once I got to 20-30 digits, a classmate bet me I couldn't get past 100, and he'd give me $1 for every digit I memorized past 100. Never saw my $20 :(. Pretty sure it was a well-executed nerd-snipe.

  Having not practiced at all since about 2001 or so, I can still get to about 30 pretty easily. I didn't use any techniques specifically, I just kept practicing as far as I remember.

  by cryptoz
• A chapter on memorising numbers from he book The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas uses a similar technique. They recommend memorising this mapping:

  0: 's'

  1: 't'

  2: 'n'

  3: 'm'

  4: 'r'

  5: 'l'

  6: 'sh'

  7: 'k'

  8: 'v'

  9: 'p/b'

  To use it, just make images/stories that correspond to the digits you need to remember.

  The more absurd the story, the less likely you'll forget.

  E.g. pi (3.14159265359 ) could be the images of these objects: mit, rat, lab, Noah, shell, mail, bee. Then just sew them together in a story e.g. someone drops a mit, it lands on a rat, the rat runs up to someone in a lab, it's Noah, he throws a shell, it knocks over some mail which lands on a bee.

  I don't use it often, but I like to memorise any 8+ digit door code when checking into a serviced apartment or airbnb, in case I forget my phone and would otherwise be without the code.

  by nomilk
• Moonwalking with Einstein is a fun read. I started using some tricks in real life. One of the key premises is that humans are much better at remembering sensory things than abstract ones.

  A good example is remembering names: when one’s name is “John Baker”, it is so much easier to remember by silently adding “the” in front of it.

  We’re also very good at remembering salacious stuff. I tried constructing my own memory palace for a grocery shopping list that included cream cheese. If you mentally make Claudia Schiffer take a bath in cream cheese, you’ll never forget that. (I read the book at least 10 years ago and still haven’t…)

  by tverbeure