Mnemonics are memory tricks that help you remember maths formulas easily.
A mnemonic is a short phrase, rhyme, or pattern that helps you remember information, like a maths formula.
Imagine you keep forgetting the formula for the area of a circle. Instead of memorizing the formula directly, you use a funny sentence or a rhyme. This sentence reminds you of the formula when you need it. It’s like how you remember your friend’s phone number by making a song out of it.
| Mnemonic | What it stands for | Formula/Order |
|---|---|---|
| BODMAS | Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction | Order of operations |
| SOH CAH TOA | Sine, Cosine, Tangent ratios | Trigonometry |
| King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk | Kilo, Hecto, Deca, Base, Deci, Centi, Milli | Metric units |
| Apple Pie are squared | Area of circle | A = πr² |
- Find the formula you want to remember.
- Make a sentence, rhyme, or pattern using the first letters or numbers from the formula.
- The sentence should be funny, silly, or meaningful to you.
- Whenever you need the formula, recall the sentence.
- Pick the formula you forget
- Take the first letter of each word or number
- Make a funny or easy sentence
- Practice recalling the sentence and formula
- BODMAS: Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.
- Helps you remember the order of operations in maths.
- King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk:
- Kilo, Hecto, Deca, Base, Deci, Centi, Milli (metric units order).
- SOH CAH TOA:
- Sine = Opposite/Hypotenuse, Cosine = Adjacent/Hypotenuse, Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent (trigonometry ratios).
- All Silver Tea Cups:
- In the four quadrants, All, Sine, Tangent, Cosine are positive (for trigonometric signs).
- Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally:
- Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction (another order of operations mnemonic).
- A for Apple Pie:
- Area of circle = πr² ("Apple Pie are squared").
- In school, students use BODMAS to solve maths problems in the right order.
- During exams, SOH CAH TOA helps you quickly remember trigonometry formulas.
- While measuring in the kitchen, King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk helps convert between grams and kilograms.
- In cricket, if you need to calculate the area of the pitch (rectangle), you might recall "Length × Breadth".
- When making rangoli designs, you might use the area formulas for circles and rectangles.
- Makes learning formulas less stressful and more fun.
- Saves time during exams.
- Reduces silly mistakes from forgetting the order or formula.
- Helps you build confidence in maths.
- Mixing up the order in mnemonics (e.g., writing BODMAS as BOMDAS).
- Forgetting what each letter stands for.
- Using a mnemonic without understanding the formula behind it.
- Relying only on mnemonics and not practicing the actual problems.
Make your own silly or funny sentence for any formula you find hard to remember. The sillier, the better!
Check yourself
What does BODMAS stand for?
Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.
Why do students use SOH CAH TOA?
To remember the trigonometry ratios for sine, cosine, and tangent.
Give a mnemonic for the area of a circle.
'Apple Pie are squared' reminds you that area = πr².
Why is it important to understand the formula, not just the mnemonic?
Because you need to know how and when to use the formula, not just recall it.
Quick recap
- Mnemonics are memory tricks for remembering maths formulas.
- BODMAS and SOH CAH TOA are popular maths mnemonics.
- Mnemonics use funny or easy sentences to help recall formulas.
- They save time and reduce mistakes in exams.
- Make your own mnemonic for formulas you find hard.