How do you memorize math formulas?
Do not memorize formulas as text. Learn where each one comes from, write it from a blank page, then use it in a problem. Group formulas into families, test yourself from memory on a spaced schedule, and keep a one-page sheet of the ones you still miss. A formula you have used in problems sticks far better than one you have only reread.
In more detail
Rereading is the weakest way to learn a formula, so start with why it works. Derive the quadratic formula once by completing the square and it stops being a string of symbols. The same goes for the Pythagorean identities: start from sin²θ + cos²θ = 1, divide by cos²θ, and you get 1 + tan²θ = sec²θ without memorizing it separately.
Group formulas into families, so you learn a handful of ideas instead of a hundred facts. The area formulas for triangles, parallelograms and trapezoids are all variations on base times height. The derivative rules (power, product, quotient, chain) form one family you use together. Then decide for each formula whether to memorize it, derive it or look it up, and check what your exam gives you: some tests hand out a reference sheet and others do not, so memorize only what is not on it.
Recall beats rereading. Cover the formula, write it from a blank page, then check it. A formula you can write but not use is only half learned, so use each one in a problem right after you recall it. Review at growing gaps, such as the next day, three days later and a week later, and move a formula to the weekly pile only after you get it right twice in a row.
Step by step
- 1
List the formulas your course or exam needs, and mark each one memorize, derive or look up.
- 2
Derive each formula once, or sketch the reason it works, in your own words.
- 3
Group the formulas into families and give each family a header.
- 4
Write each formula from a blank page, check it, and mark the ones you missed.
- 5
Use every formula in at least one problem right after you recall it.
- 6
Review on a spaced schedule, and copy the formulas you still miss onto a one-page sheet for the final week.
How StudyPDF helps
Upload your lecture notes, slides or textbook chapters, and StudyPDF builds flashcards with the formula on one side and its use on the other, plus quizzes that make you apply them. Math stays intact when you export the deck to Anki. Every answer updates your mastery per concept, so the next quiz goes after the formulas you still miss, and a cheat sheet gives you a printable one-pager for the last days. The free plan covers about 4 materials a week, no card needed.
See also
More questions
Should I memorize formulas or understand them?
Both, in that order. Understanding tells you which formula to reach for and lets you rebuild it if you blank. Memorizing makes it fast enough for a timed exam. If you can derive a formula in under a minute, you do not need to memorize it separately.
How many formulas can I learn per day?
Aim for 3 to 5 new formulas a day, each with one worked example, and spend the rest of your time reviewing older ones. More than that and the new ones tend to push the old ones out before they stick.
Do it on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.