Sample portion of the memory book.

Don't you hate it when you've learned some fact, and 6 months or a year later you can't remember exactly how it went. I hate that too. So I started writing these things down on a little sheet of paper that I keep folded up in my wallet.

Some of the facts have straightforward explanations (e.g. "good" windmills - $0.03/kW-h total), and some may seem a little cryptic (e.g. mu/rho = 0.07 cm2/g @ 1 MeV light elements), but it's a reminder system for me, not the general public. There's no rhyme or reason to it, and I'm certainly not trying to completely cover some area; it's just a collection of things that I find interesting, useful, amusing, etc., and want to remember again. It makes for great dinner party conversation. And if a psychiatrist ever reads this, they'd probably have some interesting commmentary on my personality.

Incidentally, the idea for a "memory book" comes from the physicist Richard Muller; his memory book was the kernal for mine (with about 10-20% overlap now).

Below are links to the most recent version (rev. 02/2004) of my memory book. Make sure that you print it out double-sided. Feel free to pass it along to anyone, but please mention where you got it.

  • LaTeX source: memorybook.tex - yes, LaTeX. Sorry to disappoint all of the MS Word-weenies
  • postscript: memorybook.ps
  • pdf: memorybook.pdf (If you're unable to view the link, try saving it locally -- right click, save target as -- and opening the file using Adobe Acrobat.)

Topics include:

  • Units, Conversions, Contstants (useful stuff)
  • Math (only amazing things)
  • Astronomy/Astrophysics (useful facts, plus amazing stuff)
  • Earth (useful facts)
  • Mars (useful facts)
  • Chip Design (VLSI)
  • Mechanics
  • E & M (Electricity and Magnetism)/Optics
  • Chemistry (a few common reactions)
  • Nuclear (everyone should know a little nuclear physics)
  • Scattering (I should know more about this)
  • Arms Control (bombs, rockets, fires)
  • Energy (useful facts, efficiencies, calories burned)
  • Technology
  • Biology (the kind that a physicist likes)
  • Environment (facts)
  • Economics (facts and CPI Index since 1947)
  • Geography (populations)
  • Demographics (percentages)
  • History (totally random)
  • Words
  • Logic Puzzles
  • Alcohol (blood alcohol level chart)
  • Gambling (blackjack table)
  • Quotes
  • Athletics (physics of rowing)
  • Risk (table of risk -- days lost per lifetime and 1 PPM increase in death rate)
  • Miscellaneous
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