Justin Li



I've always been better at numbers than with words. That doesn't mean I can't write (I hope), but I can definitely remember numbers better than letters or words. For shorter numbers (say, 4 digits or below), I usually keep numbers in my mind by factoring them. I'm also better at even numbers than odd numbers, but I don't really know why.

For longer numbers, like phone numbers or IP addresses, I have a different system. I chunk the number in 4 digit groups, and draw them on the number pad. So, for example, the Hong Kong phone number 51439681 would become 5143-9681. 5143 on the numpad forms something like a Greek alpha, with a longer lower tail, while 9681 does a small quiver before the downward stroke to 1. I mainly focus on remembering these patterns on the numpad, and usually I will also know one or two actual numbers for me to place it on the pad correctly.

Anyone have special ways (short of pegging) to remember random sequences?

comments powered by Disqus