How to Learn Math, Physics Formulae & Never Forget Them Again!

Why do you think most students find Maths and Physics numerical so difficult? Because they have a lot of formulae to learn. By the time you reach Class 9, these Maths & Physics formulas are not very simple anymore and it becomes more and more difficult to memorize them and remember them for years to come.

Learning formulas is not a one-day gimmick. You cannot pick up your book a day before the exam, wake up all night to learn them and expect to remember them all the next day and also be able to apply them at the right place. For this, you need practice and consistency.

Here are some of the tried-and-tested tips to remember Maths & Physics formulas forever:

•  Let the Stress Dissolve

To learn Maths and Physics formulas, you need a stress-free mind. Meditating for 5-10 minutes and feel the pressure and depression dissolve. Charge up yourself and challenge yourself to learn everything in the formula sheet for the day.

Before you pick up the book, notice if you are feeling hungry or thirsty or are really distracted about something. Take a 15-minute break to eat or drink something first or hear the match scores and then, sit down to learn your formulae.

Once you feel positive and focussed, read through all the formulas again and again.

•  Link Formula with Concepts

Conceptual understanding of a formula makes it easier to remember. For example, formula for Newton’s second law of motion is:

Instead of just trying to memorize it, try to understand it. In the image shown above, if two people push a child’s cart, more force will be exerted and it will run faster. If one more child climbs up on the chart increasing its mass, the speed will get reduced. Hence, acceleration will be directly proportional to Force and inversely proportional to mass. Linking formulas with the concepts will improve your understanding of applications of the concept and help you learn formulae faster too.

Also, you must learn how to derive formulae. It will help you solve Physics numericals or Math problems using basic formulas only. For example, if we have to calculate acceleration of an object moving in a circle and we only know the Time and Radius, then we can derive the related formula using simple formulas we already know:

•  Stretch Your Memory Limits

Mind games and other mental exercises can literally stretch your memory and push back the limits of your mind. So, indulge in a formula game with your friends. Your friends would randomly pick up a formula for you and you have to describe it. If you do not have friends, you can play with yourself too. Just close your eyes and put your finger on a random topic in your Physics book and then, try to come up with all the formulas related to it.

To win at the game, create formula sheets. Stick a large chart in your wall and look at it now-and-then to read through all the formulas. Smaller versions of the sheet can sit in your pocket and you can use them to revise your formulas when you are stuck in traffic, or waiting in long queues to get that form.

You can also create funny mnemonics such as phrases, rhymes, songs, or story to remember formulae that are difficult to remember otherwise. Here are some for Trigonometric Identities.

•  Practice Problems without the help of Formula Sheets

Merely learning formula by heart does not mean that they will remain stuck in your memory for a long time. Even, if you do manage to remember them, you will not be able to use them to solve Maths and Physics questions until you actually use them – again and again and again. More you solve problems based on a formula, more are the chances that you will remember it for years.

Repetition is the only way to strengthen Memorization. Solve as many problems as you can without looking at your formula sheet or without referring to your book. After you solve a problem, analyse the units of different variables to check if the unit of your answer has been derived correctly or not. Such memory exercises, done repeatedly and consistently, will etch these formulaes in your mind forever.