Memorizing medical word part amygdal-

Using association and mnemonic memory techniques we can remember educational information faster and more efficiently without using rote memorization.

As an aside before we memorize amygdal-. While the Internet is rife with educational articles about teaching students critical thinking vs. memorization I ask anyone interested in this controversy to consider this question. Why not try to do both? From the numerous articles I've read we've got nothing to lose by using mnemonics in education. It only takes instructors willing to create memory techniques and "risk" sharing them with their students.

blue emboldened words are common or academic terms that can be used for association purposes because they share a word part with a medical term. [I could find no common terms with the word part amygdal- in them.]

reddish brown emboldened words are medical terms that should be looked up in a medical dictionary for their figurative meanings.

orange emboldened words are terms from other fields of study that some people may find interesting.

[amygdal- from L. amygdala, almond means "almond, or amygdala, various almond shaped structures in the brain and lymphatic system called tonsils". [amygdalin, lit. almond compound, amygdaline, lit. relating to an almond or tonsil, Amygdalus, Bot. almond tree]

Memory Story: Star Wars' Princess Amadala (amygdala) with her hair and clothing coated with jewels shaped like almonds, has been rushed into your emergency room with almond shaped jewel lodged in her throat's tonsils.

Memorizing Electron Configuration subshells

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 5s2 4d10 5p6 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p6 7s2 5f14 6d10 7p6

Using Mnemonic's Phonetic System (which is posted below) we're going to memorize this alphanumeric series using what mnemonics calls a Link, which is a series of visual images creatively Linked together.

We're fortunate with this series because "s" is always followed by a 2, "p" is always followed by a 6, "d" is always followed by a 10 and "f" is always followed by a 14. So we have s2, p6, d10, f14. [If you've read my first Memory Story about the Periodic Table you'll remember this as being "Sunny Peach Dates Father" or the favorite dessert of the men at Men Don't Leave Prison.]

Because the numbers are always the same following s, p, d, f, we can eliminate the last numbers. What we want to memorize is: 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 4s 3d 4p 5s 4d 5p 6s 4f 5d 6p 7s 5f 6d 7p.

Now we convert using the Phonetic System: 1s (toes), 2s (nose), 2p (knapsack), 3s (mouse), 3p (mop), 4s (rose), 3d (mud), 4p (rope), 5s (lasso), 4d (road), 5p (lip), 6s (cheese), 4f (roof), 5d (lead), 6p (jeep), 7s (gas), 5f (leaf), 6d (shed), 7p (cop).

Memory Links need to be bizarre creations in order to make them as visually memorable as possible. This can sometimes make them a bit nightmarish like the one that follows. First we need to start with a base to start our Link from so you're in Chemistry Class surrounded by shells of electrons. Suddenly your toes burst out of your shoes and on top of your toes is this ugly nose that keeps getting bigger and bigger. The nose grows to at least six feet tall and inside of one nostril is a knap (sack). Curious you yank the knap (sack) out and this huge mouse covered with, well you know, comes out with it. The mouse runs over to the corner and grabs a mop and makes threatening motions towards you when the mop mysteriously turns into a rose. You approach him but undaunted the mouse rubs your face in the rose which turns out to be filled with mud. You grab a rope, that just so happens to be lying there, and rub the mud off your face with it. You turn the rope into a lasso and go outside and being in a Tall Tales mood lasso the road outside of your Chemistry class. You decide you're going to ride the road when it turns into one giant long black asphalt lip the moment you get on. The lip begins to spit up a flood of cheese until you're drowning in cheese but you manage to make it to a roof. On the roof a rain of lead pellets begins to fall until the torrent magically turns into a lead jeep. You get in the jeep but it won't start so you go back and fill it up with gas from a gas can. When you hit the gas you fly off the roof onto a giant leaf that breaks your fall but you can't stop and go flying into a shed. Unfortunately there's a cop there to give you a ticket.

 

 

Mnemonic's Phonetic System

• One is the phonetic sounds "t or d". Made memorable by t or d only having one foot.
  
• Two is the phonetic sound "n". Made memorable by n having two feet.
  
• Three is the phonetic sound "m". Made memorable by m having three feet.
  
• Four is the phonetic sound "r". Made memorable by four's phonetic "r".
  
• Five is the phonetic sound "l". Made memorable by holding up your outstretched left hand and the L being created with the thumb and forefinger.
  
• Six is the phonetic sounds "sh, ch, soft j or soft g". Made memorable by J and G "kind of" looking like a six.
  
• Seven is the phonetic sounds "k, hard g, or hard c". Made memorable by two sevens being used to create a printed K.
  
• Eight is the phonetic sounds "f or v". Made memorable because a handwritten "f" looks like an eight.
  
• Nine is the phonetic sounds "p or b". Made memorable because p or b look like a nine.
  
• Zero is the phonetic sounds "z or s". Made memorable because zero starts with the letter z.
  

Remembering medical terms ampulla/amphoric

Struggling Student's Memory Guide helps students use association and memory techniques to recall educational information quickly by eliminating as much rote memorization as we can.

blue emboldened words are common or college terms that can be used for association purposes because they use the same word part as a medical term.

reddish brown emboldened words are medical terms that should be looked up in a medical dictionary for their figurative meanings.

Medical terms and memory story from High Speed Memory Techniques for Medical Terminology.

amphoric from Gr. amphora, a jar with two handles, from amphi-, both sides + -phor-, to carry, medically means "a sound from the lungs that sounds like someone blowing into an amphora".

ampulla from L. ampulla, a narrow necked globular bottle with a round bottom and two handles for carrying wine, perfume, or ointments, from the diminutive of amphora, a jar with two handles, means "a dilated section of a tube or vessel that resembles an ampule". [ampule, Med. a small sealed bottle containing drugs, ampullula, lit. a diminutive ampulla]

Memory Story: You're helping with a dive in the Mediterranean Sea after finding a sunken ancient Greek trading vessel loaded with ampullae and amphorae that held olive oil and perfumes. The diver's air hose has formed an ampulla and he is yelling for you to pull him up. "I am pulling! " (ampulla) you yell as another ampulla begins to form in the air hose in your hands.

Remembering medical word part amnio-

Struggling Student's Memory Guide uses association and mnemonic memory techniques in an effort to help students keep from using rote memorization.

blue emboldened words are common or college terms that can be used for association purposes because they share the same word part as a medical term. [I could find no common terms to associate to medical word part amnio- to.]

reddish brown words are medical terms that should be looked up in a medical dictionary for the figurative meanings.

amnio- from Gr. amnion, the bowl for catching the blood of sacrificial victims, from amnus, lamb + -ion, diminutive, means "amnion, the inner fetal membrane that encloses the embryo of reptiles, birds, and mammals". [amniocentesis, lit. puncturing the amnion, amniogenesis, lit. amnion production, Amniota, lit. amnion (animal group)]

Memory Story: You're having a Matrix nightmare and are struggling to get out of your amniotic sack because you dream you're drowning in amniotic fluid. You awaken spitting fluid out of your mouth and cry, "I am Neo!" (amnio-) only to discover your water bed has burst open again. Duct tape has it limits you know.

Word part and memory story from High Speed Memory Techniques for Medical Terminology.

Remembering word medical part amelo-

Struggling Student's Memory Guide uses association and mnemonic techniques to help students recall information quickly and retain it longer without using rote memorization.

blue emboldened words are common or college terms that can be used for association purposes because they share the same word part with other medical terms listed.

reddish brown emboldened words are medical terms that should be looked up in a medical dictionary for their figurative meanings.

Word part from High Speed Memory Techniques for Medical Terminology.

amelo- from Early English amel, means "enamel". [enamel, ameloblast, lit. enameled germ cell, amelogenesis, lit. production of enamel, odontoameloblastosarcoma, lit. tooth enamel germ cell flesh tumor]

The obvious association to enamel made a memory story or mnemonic unnecessary.

Remembering medical term amelioration/meliorate

Just imagine an instructor giving you something to learn (that you can actually use for the rest of your life) and then saying, "Here's a couple of ways to help you remember it. First of all here's something I found you can associate to that and second, here's a little memory technique I created and use that helps me remember it. And oh yea, if you create something better or discover something else to associate to let's share it with the rest of the students. Wouldn't that be more helpful than, "Remember this, it will be on the test."

blue emboldened words are common or college terms that can be associated to medical terms that share the same word part.

reddish brown emboldened words are medical terms that should be looked up in a medical dictionary for their figurative meanings.

Word part and memory story from High Speed Memory Techniques for Medical Terminology.

amelioration from L. ad-, to + melior, to make better, medically means "improvement". [ameliorate, to make better; to improve, meliorate]

Memory Story: [Using meliorate.] You ask your satisfied looking friend, who was ravenous when he sat down at your dinner table, "That meal you ate (meliorate) improve things or make you feel better?"

Memorizing ambly-, a medical word part

Just imagine an instructor giving you something to learn (that you can actually use for the rest of your life) and then saying, "Here's a couple of ways that will help you remember it. First of all you can associate this to that and here's a little memory technique I created and use that may help you too. And oh yea, if you create or find something better let's share it with the rest of the students."

This is a way to quit using rote memorization in the classroom but it takes instructors to do it because students don't have the time to find associations and to create and improve mnemonic devices over the years.




blue emboldened words are common or college level terms that can be used for association purposes. [I could find no common terms that contain the word part ambly-.]





reddish brown words are medical terms that should be looked up in a medical dictionary for their figurative meanings.





Word part and memory story from High Speed Memory Techniques for Medical Terminology.
All the medical word parts in this entry are in HSMT for MT.




ambly- from Gr. amblys, dull, means "dull, blunt, dim, or faint". [amblyaphia, lit. dull touch condition, Amblyomma, lit. dull eye, amblyopia, lit. dull eye condition]





Memory Story: [You're a guy.] I am blind (ambly-) in this faint light, you think, as you slowly amble (ambly-, nr.) into the dull and blunt armrest of your movie theater seat, spilling your popcorn and drink all over your date. Warning: An acronym addendum to this story could be: No BFD (blunt, faint, dim, dull) because she left before you got back.