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Each digit is mapped onto a number of consonants. Vowels and the consonants W/H/Y are ignored and can be used as 'fillers' to make up sensible words from the resulting consonant sequences. The mapping is:
The mapping is phonetic, so it is the sounds that matter, not the spelling. Each digit maps to a set of sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions. Therefore a word like ACTION would encode the number 762, not 712; and GHOST would be 701, whereas because the 'GH' in ENOUGH is pronounced like an F - the word enough encodes the number 28.
Example: to remember the year in which the National Portrait Gallery in London was opened ( 1856), we first perform the mapping:
So we can make up 'DaFfy LoDGe', and we think of the Portrait Gallery as a lodge in which Daffy Duck resides (the more silly the image, the easier it is to recall).
Going the other way, we can reverse the mapping and get the year. This works also very well with phone numbers: here you would typically come up with multiple words which you need to memorise in a sequence.
For most people, it is easier to remember an image or story incorporating words than it is to remember strings of digits. For example, it may be easier to remember "moderately pendulum" than to directly memorize the first 10 digits of Pi (3.141592653) [note: pendulum must be pronounced as penjulum for this to work]. It's moderately difficult to make a pendulum out of an apple pie. A vivid image of that sentence might be remembered more easily than directly memorizing 3.141592653=Pi.
The major system isn't always the best way to remember a number. The first 16 digits of e are 2.718281828459045. If you invented a new way to fold a flag so that it would open up in the shape of an E, could you patent that? Negative: it isn't innovative to unfurl bizarrely as an E. That sentence could be used to memorize the first 16 digits of e. On the other hand, some people might find it easier to remember them directly by grouping them this way:
2.7 the standard approximation of e 1828 a year 1828 the same year again 45 90 45 cut a square in half to get a triangle with these anglesThe "best" technique depends on the person and the situation, but the major system can be a helpful tool in many cases.
The major system is sometimes combined with a peg system for remembering lists.
One rather surprizing variant of the major system is its utility for memorizing Lottery numbers, facts, and world events. What makes the system espescially useful in this regard is the fact that in most State run Lotto type games the order that the numbers are drawn does not matter. For example on February 5, 2003, right after the destruction of Space Shuttle ColumbiaShuttle Orbiter Columbia (NASA Designation: OV-102 was the first space shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet, first flying mission STS-1 from April 12 to April 14, 1981. It was lost with all crew when it disintegrated during re-entry on its 28th mission, STS-10 the numbers 5-26-30-14-33 and mega 5 came up on the California Super LottoLotto style game played in California every Wednesday and Saturday. Five main winning numbers are selected from a set of 47 rubber balls, as is a so called mega number which is chosen from a separate set of 27 rubber balls. California has historicly offer game. Using the major system, it is easy to see that the phrase A LAUNCH MYSTERY, MY OH MY - OH WELL translates into the sequence 5263014335 which uniquely partitions into the indicated draw set. Since the draw order does not matter, one could just as well have imagine saying to a parent: "WELL MOM, I ENJOY DREAMS. WELL?" which yields upon translationTranslation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text — and the production of another, equivalent text in another language — the target text or translation''. Traditionally, translation has alw and partitioning into a set of numbers the same set, but in a different order, i.e., 5-33-26-14-30 with the same mega number 5.
With practice it becomes straightforward to link news events, to lists of numbers, to specific winning combinations. Consider for example the Laci PetersonLaci Peterson born Laci Rocha ( May 4, 1975), was last seen alive on December 24, 2002 and became the subject of one of the most discussed missing person cases in recent U. Laci was born in and lived in Modesto, California. A substitute teacher, she was s missing persons case. If the phrase "MY LOVE MAY BE NEAR THE BAY" is translated using the major system - then it yields the sequence 3-5-8-39-24 with mega 19, which was actually drawn on March 5, 2003 - about the time that the Laci PetersonLaci Peterson born Laci Rocha ( May 4, 1975), was last seen alive on December 24, 2002 and became the subject of one of the most discussed missing person cases in recent U. Laci was born in and lived in Modesto, California. A substitute teacher, she was s case was officially classified a homicideThis article is about homicide, the killing of a human being. For information about the television series, see: Homicide: Life on the Street. Homicide is the killing of another human being by one or more others. In contrast, suicide is the self killing of. Likewise such phrases "HE TOLD ME HE DID IT!" and "HE TOLD ME I WOULD DIE TOO!", and they offered him "A DEAL TO HAVE TO DO TIME?, but he said OH NO NO!" all yield information about the June 28, 2003 draw when 1-5-11-13-18 and 22 came on the California Super LottoLotto style game played in California every Wednesday and Saturday. Five main winning numbers are selected from a set of 47 rubber balls, as is a so called mega number which is chosen from a separate set of 27 rubber balls. California has historicly offer game - as does "DIE - HE WILL DIE DIE DIE - HE MIGHT HAVE NO ONE."
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