## 11. MNEMONICS

#### Subsections

- 11. mnemonics - general
- 11.1 mnemonics
- 11.2 mathematics
- 11.3 computer science
- 11.4 physics
- 11.5 chemistry
- 11.6 biology and medicine
- 11.7 earth sciences
- 11.8 miscellany

### 11.4 PHYSICS

Index | Comments and Contributions | previous page

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                              Metric system prefixes

    From: alkarismi@aol.com (Alkarismi)

    After          atto      10*-18
    Fellatio       femto     10*-15
    Please         pico      10*-12
    Note           nano      10*-9
    You            micro     10*-6
    Must           milli     10*-3
    Cum            centi     10*-2
    Kiss           Kilo      10*3
    My             mega      10*6
    Giant          giga      10*9
    Todger         tera      10*12

    From: Johann Beda <j-beda@pobox.com>
     I have been using two different mnemonics for the metric system prefixes:

    Every           Exta    10*18
    Person          Peta    10*15
    That            Tera    10*12
    Gave            Giga    10*9
    Me              Mega    10*6
    Kisses          Kilo    10*3
    Has             Hecto   10*2
    Diarea          Deca    10*1

    diary           deci    10*-1
    cows            centi   10*-2
    make            milli   10*-3
    milk            micro   10*-6
    not             nano    10*-9
    pink            pico    10*-12
    fruit           femto   10*-15
    asshole         atto    10*-18

    From: cbutler@bnr.ca (Chris Butler)
    I remember one for the metric system:

    "King Hector Doesn't Usually Drink Cold Milk"

    for Kilo 1000
        Hecto 100
        Deca 10
        Units 1
        Deci 0.1
        Centi 0.01
        Milli 0.001

    From: jsandler@encore.com (Jeff Sandler)
     My math teacher, who taught us a similar one, must have been more..um...
    sadist.
      "Kill Hector Dead <units>, Dear Cousin Milli."

    From: "Joe L Gentzler" <gentzler@mail.kingsnet.com>
     My students like this one:
    Kids Have Dropped over dead converting metrics.

    They say it somehow fits the situation.

    From: Mark_P_Simon@AtlanticMutual.com
         King's Mom Goes To Pieces, Evades Zeus's Yearnings.  or "Keeping My
    Girdle Tight Prevents Eating ! ", Zelda Yelped.
     - Kilo, Mega,Giga, Tera, Peta, Exa, Zetta, Yotta

    Militant Michael Nabs Piratical Feminists Attacking Zeb's Yacht -
                   Milli, Micro, Nano, Pico, Femto, Atta, Zepto, Yocto

    Here I was careful to use two or three letters from each because these are
    not as widely used in most disciplines.

    Enjoy!  "give some people an attoparsec and they'll take 16.093
    Tera-angstroms"

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    The way that I remembered (and still do) Newton's Laws of Motion.

    The first law - Inertia = I made up a hyphenated word "One - ertia"

    The Third Law - equal and opposite = a sideways 3 - turn the three so the
    openings of the three are upward - each side of the sideways three is
    "equal and opposite"

    Once I know which the 1st and third are - the second is the only one left.
    acceleration is directly related to the force applied If I push down the
    gas pedal in 2nd gear - I accelerate in direct proportion to the force on
    the gas pedal.

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    From: SCIENCTRIX <SCIENCTRIX@aol.com>
     Here's a mnemonic to give an indication of the relative comparison of
    Celsius for those who grew up with the Fahrenheit scale.

    30 is hot 20 is nice 10 is cold 0 is ice.

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    From: "Dr. Robert L. LaDuca" <rlladuca@rs01.kings.edu>

     Q: Why do gas molecules like to look into your window at night?  A:
    Because they're PVnRT'ed. (pronounce: pivnerted)

    OK, I'm ducking the tomatoes. :) :) (Actually this helped my students
    remember the gas law!)

    From: "Amanda Herzberg" <herzbera@purdue.edu>
    This one my high school chemistry taught me to remember PV = nRT

    Pregnant Virgins Never Reveal the Truth

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    From: Mark Gingrich <grinch@rahul.net>
     To aid my recollecting the direction of increasing position angle (it is
    measured from North, sweeps through the East cardinal point, then South,
    then West), I always recite the following:

                          Never eat Shredded Wheat.

    (And, no, this is not a personal vendetta against the Nabisco Company.)

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    From: Richard Mentock <mentock@mindspring.com>
     Since the meter seems defined in terms of the speed of light
    http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/speed_of_light.html the speed of
    light is always 299,792,458 meters/second.

    299 792 458 = "We guarantee certainty, clearly referring to this light
    mnemonic"

    299 792 458 = "My ingenious astronomy student remembers an easy light
    mnemonic" (number of characters of a word = digit)

    From: "Tommy E. Cathey" <cathey.tommy@epa.gov>
     2 9 9 7 9 2 4 5 8 As Einstein's equations validly predicted, we hold speed
    constant.

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    From: Rik Deitsch <EDEI8384@ACC.FAU.EDU>
     The EM Spectrum Cary Grant eXpects Unanimous Votes In Movie Reviews
    Tonight Cosmic Gamma X-rays Ultraviolet Visible Infrared Microwave Radio
    Television

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    From: slavins@psy.man.ac.uk (Simon Slavin)
     And the planet one (which I got from Robert A. Heinleins "Have Space Suit,
    Will Travel):
     Mother very thoughtfully made a jam sandwich under no protest.
      for: Mercurius, Venus, thoughfully = Terra = Earth, Mars, Asteroids,
    Jupiter, Saturnus, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

    (Between Febrary 7, 1979 and February 11, 1999 Pluto is closer to the Sun
    than Neptune.  It will be closer again after 2227. Some of the mnemonic
    refer to that situation, so beware.)

    From: fjh4@tutor.open.ac.uk (Triple Quadrophenic)
    From the "Schrodinger's Cat" series by RA Wilson
     - Mother Very Easily Made a Jam Sandwich Using No Peanuts, Mayonnaise or
    Glue

    From: snowhare@xmission.com (Snowhare)
    Mike Bandy wrote on 20 Jul 1994 09:33:13 -0400:
     Most Volcanoes Erupt Mouldy Jam Sandwiches Under Normal Pressure

    Many Viscious Earth Monsters Just Sat Under Nellies Porch

    From: dolf@echo.tds.philips.nl (Dolf Grunbauer)
     Planets in the solar system.
     My Very Excellant Memory Just Stores Up Nine Planets.

    From: badger@phylo.life.uiuc.edu (Jonathan Badger)
     My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas

    Actually, currently, I guess it is Pizzas Nine...

    From: Atreju <someone@who.hates.junkmail>
     The one I learned in school is:
    My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets!

    From: tigger@cheerful.com (tigger)
     My very easy method just set up nine planets.

    From: jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (Jeff Zeitlin)

     Planets of the Solar System, in order:

     My Very Extravagant Mother Just Sent Us Nine Parrots.

     When Pluto comes closer to the sun than Neptune:

     ... Just Sent Us Pine Nuts.

    From: danield@cruzio.com (Daniel Drabek)
     My Valet Edward Makes Juicy Sandwiches Using Needles & Pins.  (thank you
    Mr. Triggs-7th grade science)

    From: milne@acs6.acs.ucalgary.ca (Bruce Milne)
    Mary's Violet Eyes Make

    Johnny Stay Up Nights Period

    From: kirrilyr@union3.su.swin.edu.au (Kirrily Robert - SINN Editor)
     Many Very Early Mornings Julie Sits Up Naming Planets

    From: ted_swift@qm.sri.com (Ted Swift)
    Matilda Visits Every Thursday, Just

    Stays Until Noon, Period.

    From: "biggerten" <norkunas@NqOwSePsAtM.net>
     Martha Visits Every Monday And Just Sits Until Noon Period.  (With
    Asteroids)

    From: billa@znet.com (Bill Arnett)
     My favorite so far is this one for the order of the planets:
     "Many voters earn money just showing up near polls".
     I believe it is attributed to Isaac Asimov.

    From: Hazel Webb <hazel@robhaz.dircon.co.uk>
     I remember as a child learning them by "Many Very Energetic Men Jump
    Sideways Under Nelly Parker"

    From: BillFerris (billferris@aol.com)
     My Very Efficient Motorcycle, A JS,Uses No Petrol.

    From: Bevan Harris (BMH@bigpond.com)
    Another one for the planets, courtesy of Greg Lowe at Perth Observatory.
     My Very Early Model Jaguar Just Smashed Up Near Pinjarra.
     (Pinjarra is a moderate sized country town about 80km south of Perth.)

    From: jh@brainiac.com (Joe Hartley)
     Miss Victoria's Ears Make Jumping Shockingly Uncomfortable Near
    Porcupines.

    From: "Ron" <ronpaludan@msn.com>
     My Very Elegant Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Porcupines.

    From: "Alex Ottway" <alexottway@email.com>
     Space Men Vote Earth Most Jolly (of the) Solar Universe's Nine Planets.
    It even tells the uninitiated which end the Sun is!!

    From: "Gareth Slee"
     Many Varied Earthlings Munch Jam Sandwiches Under Newspaper Piles

    From: tomv@vismag.limmat.net.ch (Thomas Voirol)

    A German one:

     Mein Mercury my Vater Venus father Erklaert Earth explains Mir Mars (to) me
    Jeden Jupiter every Sonntag Saturn sunday Unsere Uranus our Neuen Neptune
    new Plaene Pluto plans

    This will help you remember the sequence of sol's planets. If you speak
    German, that is...

    From: Suzanne Sarlette/Gerald Pearson <suegerry@mut1.muscanet.com>
     French mnemonic for the order of the planets:
              Mon vieux, Tu m'as jette sur une nouvelle planet!
      Mercury, Venus, Terre (earth), Mars, ASteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
    Neptune, Pluto

    From: Jean-Philippe Granchi <jean-philippe.granchi@ota.fr.socgen.com>
     Me Voici Tout Mouillé J'ai Suivi Un Nageur Poilu

     English: Now I'am wet I was following a hairy diver This sentence has
    great success with young (French) amateur … :-)

    From: Jean Debord <JDebord@compuserve.com>
     A French mnemonic for the planets Monsieur, vous tirez mal - Je suis un
    novice pitoyable.  (Mister, you shoot badly - I am a pitiful beginner) I
    have found them in the last issue (October 1998) of "Pour la science"
    (french edition of "Scientific American").

    From: Gerald Pearson & Sue Sarlette <suegerry@muscanet.com>
     I myself use a French one, which I saw posted a few years ago on the
    Astronomy echo on Fidonet by some guy in France.  I think it's sort of
    nifty :-)

    Mon vieux, tu m'as jete sur une nouvelle planete.

    (My French spelling is terrible, so I can't guarantee the spelling!  I just
    remember the sound.)

    From: Yael Naze <naze@astro.ulg.ac.be>
     Another way of learning the planet's order in French : Ma Vieille Tante
    Marie Joue Sur Un Nouveau Piano (English Translation: my old aunt Mary
    plays on a new piano)

    From: grapeape@aol.comjunk (GrapeApe)

    I always had problems with Uranus and Neptune- the order of the rest is a
    snap.

    I think an early Mnemonic might even be to blame for my UN problem, due to
    the creator of the mnemonic wanting to make the word Sun-up to end the
    Mnemonic from Saturn to Pluto. Two Uranuses?

     A mnemonic with too much unused filler is more confusing than helpful.

    I think the mnemonic I was taught was

    Many very eager men jump (at) SuNuP.

    From: Brian Hiles <bsh@rawbw.com>
     I came up with one which I think has at least the virtue of being in the
    form of a rhyme, which studies show enhances the ability to recall it, but
    also to develop a long-lasting memory of it and memorize it in the first
    place.

    	"Most vegetarians eat meatsteak;
    	[and] just some usually never partake."

    "Meatsteak" is an archaism for "meat"; the medieval distinction between
    "meat" and "steak" is that the former term was applied to _any_ staple in
    the diet, whereas the latter is was we now associate with the word -- this
    not-too-artificial-I-hope term allows the couplet to rhyme. Note that the
    conjunction "and" may or may not be placed as the first word of the second
    line to indicate the order of the Asteroid Belt amongst the planets, and
    that the two lines distinguish the Terrestrials from the Jovians -- if you
    discount Pluto, which may lose its planetary distinction in the near
    future. ("MVEMJSUN"?)

    From: john Latala <jrlatala@golden.net>

     Man Very Early Made (All) Jars Stand Up Nearly Perpendicularly.

    From: "Noel" <noel@draiochtltd.ie>
    I learned this one in secondary school:
      Men Very Early Made Journeys Seeking Unidentified New Planets.

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    From: Mark_P_Simon@AtlanticMutual.com

     No one did the planets in Size Order.

    It used to be: MEn PLan MAny VENUS JUmps
     for MErcury, PLuto, MArs, VEnus (and also Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus,
    Saturn) & JUpiter.  Both the first two letters of each word are used and
    the word Venus stands for itself, follows the convention of first two
    letters and represents 4 other planets as well.

    Now it should be:

    PLanners MEasure MAy's VENUS JUmp.

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    From: blandp1@aol.com (Blandp1)
     Gallilean moons of Jupiter: I eat green catapillers: Io, Europa, Ganymede,
    Callisto.

    From: freeman-despamifier@netcom.com (Jay Reynolds Freeman)
    With all these

    mnemonics flying about, I Easily Get Confused...

    From: kwilson@atlas.vcu.edu (Kenneth D. Wilson)
    An Icecube Ever Grows

    Colder
      For: Amalthea, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto.

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    From: Richard Jakiel <jakiel@crl.crl.com>
     Here's one for Saturn's Moons: MET DR THIP FOR :
    Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys,Dione, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus and Phoebe

    From: Tom Polakis <polakis@home.com>
    My Enormous Telescope Did Resolve The Hyades Immediately.
    For:
    Mimas
    Enceladus
    Tethys
    Dione
    Rhea
    Titan
    Hyperion
    Iapetus

    From: "Mike Sussman"
    "Must Evade Tasco's Dirty Refractors - They Have Imperfections."

    From: Chris L Peterson <clp@alumni.caltech.edu>
    Mnemonic exercises teach dumb rules to help idiots!

    From: DanielBK@unitedstates.com (Daniel)
    My Easiest Time Dating Regarded The Heavenly Irene...

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    From: billa@znet.com (Bill Arnett) "Neptune's tiny dancing girls look

    pretty to-night" Neptune's moons: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina , Galatea,
    Larissa , Proteus, Triton, Nereid.

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    From: rjohnson@apple.com (Rob Johnson)

     The constellations of the zodiac:

    A Tense Gray Cat Lay Very Low Sneaking Slowly Contemplating A Pounce
    r a     e    a   e   i    i   c        a      a             q i
    i u     m    n   o   r    b   o        g      p             u s
    e r     i    c       g    r   r        i      r             a c
    s u     n    e       o    a   p        t      i             r e
      s     i    r                i        t      c             i s
                                  o        a      o             u
                                           r      r             s
                                           i      n
                                           u
                                           s

    From: Mark_P_Simon@AtlanticMutual.com
     As The Great Cook Likes Very Little Salt, She Compensates Adding Pepper. -
    Signs of the Zodiac.

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    From: eng20216@leonis.nus.sg (CHEW JOO SIANG)
     How bout the one for the colours of the rainbow -

       Virgin In Bed Gives You Orgasmic Release

    For : violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.

    From: "Alex Ottway" <alex.ottway@ntlworld.com>
    Virgin In Bed: Get Your Organ Ready!

    From: dtrg@st-andrews.ac.uk (David Thomas Richard Given)

      Rip Off Your Goolies Before I Vomit

    From: pdundas@bfsec.bt.co.uk (Paul Dundas)
    Richard of York gave battle in

    vain From: drory@buphyk.bu.edu (Alon Drory) Or the one I picked up from an
    Asimov essay: Read Out Your Good Book In Verse

    He also said that since Violet was just a fancy-schmancy word for purple,
    more populistic minded people could also

    Read Out Your Good Book In Prose

    From: avg@sprintlink.net (Vadim Antonov)
    Russian for spectrum colors:

            Kazhdyi Okhotnik Zhelayet Znat' Gde Sidit Fazan
            every hunter wants to_know where sits a_fazan
                                                              (a kind of bird)

            Krasnyi Oranzhevyi Zhyoltyi Zelenyi Goluboy Siniy Fioletvyi
            Red Orange Yellow Green Lt_Blue Blue Violet

    From: ingvar@ki.se (Ingvar Mattsson)
    Or ROY G BIV, for the same colours in

    the opposite direction.

    From: mchndnd@marie.physik.tu-berlin.de (Neil Dobson)
    Or ROY G BIV, for the

    same colours in the opposite direction.
          Roy G. Biv,
          Roy G. Biv,
          He's the colour quaddie
          That the spectrum gives.
                                       Lois McMaster Bujold.

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    From: sjt@xun8.sr.bham.ac.uk (James Tappin)
    From: cummings@u.washington.edu

    (Mike Cummings) Stellar spectral classes: Oh be a fine girl, kiss me right
    now - SMACK

    For: 0, B, A, G, K, M, R, N, S.

    From: lou@xilinx.com (Lou Sanchez-Chopitea)
    (The original from Henry Russell himself.)  Oh be a fine girl, kiss me right now sweetheart.

    From: "Paulo Valdivieso" <pvcosta.nreal@mail.telepac.pt> For the HR
    mnemonic, you cannot forget the female version... simply put 'guy' instead
    of 'girl'. Michel Gaustad's Astronomy - Cosmic prespective gave for the
    outdated classes R, N and S the following string - Oh Be A Fine Girl (Guy)
    Kiss Me Right Now Shmack. He didn't mention the W classe.  Well.

    From: cummings@u.washington.edu (Mike Cummings)
    Oh Big And Ferocious

    Gorilla, Kill My Roommate Next Saturday!

    Only Boring Astronomers Find Gratification Knowing Mnemonics.  From:
    lrmead@whale.st.usm.edu (Lawrence R. Mead) On bad afternoons fermented
    grapes keep Mrs. Richard Nixon smiling.

    From: "David W. Knisely" <dk84538@navix.net> As for the spectral type code,
    it has to be changed, since R, N, and S types have been combined into the C
    class (carbon stars), maybe to "Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me Constantly" :-)

    From: davercrb@thegrid.net (Dave Majors):
     Wow-Oh Be A Fine Girl. Kiss Me

    Right Now! *Smack* (includes the W class)

    From: "Fin Fahey" <fin@albedo.nospam.demon.co.uk>

    I still want to know what the new one is, given the addition of L-class
    red/brown dwarfs...

    Best I could think of in a hurry for WOBAFGKML is:

    Where Ordinary British Astronomers Find Green Kryptonite - Martian Lakes

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    From: "henry nass" <hnass1732@hotmail.com>

    This is the list order of the 12 constellation of the northern hemishpere,
    beginning with Capricorn which "crosses" January 1st, and is the first
    Constellation in the Winter quater.

    The results seemed simply to fall out of the group when I crossed out some
    letters, and I thought the "fudge" on Aquarius was not unreasonable.

    I give several letters of the beginning of each constellation name (or
    included in the name) to reduce any ambiguity that an initial letter only
    sentence would leave:

    'CAPtaiN   AQUAR   PICkS   ARtillery  TARgets,  GENeral    CANfield   LEads  VIllaGe   LIBeRAtion,'
          SCOtty    SAId."

    Capricorn   Aquarius  Pisces   Aries      Taurus      Gemini      Cancer     Leo    Virgo     Libra
           Scorpio   Saggitarius

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    From: garret@mrao.cam.ac.uk (Garret Cotter)
    And while we are on the topic

    of color, how about the one for recalling spectrographic notation:

    Sober Physicists Don't Find Giraffes Hiding In Kitchens.

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    From: rjc@mail.ast.cam.ac.uk (Robert Cumming)
    I used to remember Newton's

    First Law by singing it (sotto voce, _of course_) to the tune of the Birdie
    Song:

    Every body continues in its state of rest Or of uniform motion Until
    compelled by some external force to change that state of rest Or of uniform
    motion

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    From: claybake@cae.wisc.edu (Peter Jon Claybaker)
    Q: What's new (nu)?  A:

    mu / rho

    It's the only way I can rememeber the relationship between absolute and
    kinematic viscosity.

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    From: Johann Beda <j-beda@pobox.com>
      Q: What's new (nu)?
      A: c / lambda

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    From: mje@pookie.pass.wayne.edu (Michael J. Edelman)
     Another favorite,

    learned late in life, for electronics types:

                  Eli the Ice man.

    It's for remembering whether current leads voltage or lags it in reactive
    circuits.  In inductive ('L') circuits, voltage ('E') leads current ('I'),
    hence 'E L I'.  In capacitive ('C') circuits, it's the other way, so 'I C
    E'.

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    From: Steve Rodway <legion@bigfoot.com>
     For current and voltage phase relation in capaitors and inductors

    CIVIL

        C I V I L Capacitor Current Voltage Current Inductor

    in a capacitor, current lead voltage voltage leads current in an inductor

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    From: "Dr. Dickie" <dr_dickie@chembench.com>

    "sticky paint dries fast"
    For the energy levels of electrons.

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    From: howe-c@physics.utexas.edu (Chris Howe)
    I have a relatively good one

    (albeit fairly useless) for remembering the order that the nuclear shells
    get filled up as you add more nucleons to the nucleus:

    spuds if pug dish of pig

    If you write it down and then cross out all of the vowels except for the
    final 'i' you get

    spdsfpgdshfpig

    and since you are worying about nuclear levels, you already know the
    spectroscopic notation: spdfghi s=0, p=1, ... so if you start numbering
    above these letters how many times the letter has occured, you get the
    principal quantum number, and angular momentum of the energy states in the
    order that they are filled:

    11121212312312 spdsfpgdshfpig

    (Remember that in nuclear shells the angular momentum can be greater than
    the principal quantum number...)

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    From: Stephanie Goldman  (CA2STAY@aol.com)
    The equation for specific heat:

    q= CATMan

    q = c_v * T * m
    -

next page | Index | Comments and Contributions

#### Subsections

- 11. mnemonics - general
- 11.1 mnemonics
- 11.2 mathematics
- 11.3 computer science
- 11.4 physics
- 11.5 chemistry
- 11.6 biology and medicine
- 11.7 earth sciences
- 11.8 miscellany

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