How do you deal with all the memorizing??

Question

I understand that science is very interesting
but what's interesting about memorizing chemical reactions and all the detailed parts of the cell and stuff?

How do you deal with all the boring stuff in science?

Learning science in a general way is very interesting, i know, but not the in depth part! Or am I wrong?

I still want to learn science because it will allow me to have the job that I want in the future. But I can't bring myself to study the boring part. How do I do it?

Someone correct my way of thinking please!
Am I just really lazy??? What do I do?

Answer 1

While repetition is useful, when you're first starting out, don't think that science is a lifetime of mindless repetition. When you are first learning science in high school, this is part of it ... but the more words you learn, the more you find that new words start to make sense on their own, and less repetition is necessary. This is the barrier that a lot of non-scientists never get over.

To keep it interesting when you first start out, it's important to understand *why* you're memorizing the "boring stuff". Sometimes even teachers don't know why.

The reason is that a lot of concepts in science are about recognizing *patterns*. Only after you know five things can you get a *feel* for something that all five have in common ... and suddenly all five become interesting. Until then, they seem to be unrelated concepts, and your reason for learning them is unclear.

For example, *after* you memorize the parts of a cell, then the cell starts to make sense, and then it becomes interesting. The *names* of the different parts give you hints about what the part is for, or what it looks like, or where it is located (or sometimes, how it was discovered).

For example (just picking a name out of a hat): the name "endoplasmic reticulum" can be broken down. "endo" means 'inside'. "Plasmic" refers to the plasma, or liquid that occupies the bulk of the cell outside the nucleus. And "reticulum" refers to the fact that these look "net-like" or "intricate" (reti- is the Latin for net). So it just means "the net-like thing inside the cell's plasm."

After you get exposed to enough of these words, you start to get a feel for the language. E.g. you start to notice that a lot of terms start with "endo" (like endothermic, endoscope, endometrium), or have "plasm" (cytoplasm, protoplasm, blood plasma), or are "reticulated" (the reticulated beetle, reticulated python, or the reticulated giraffe ... the scientific name for 'giraffe' is 'camelopardalis reticulata').

Also, keep in mind that these words are just shorthand ... so you don't have to keep saying "that net-like thingie inside the cell fluid outside the big thingie in the middle."

And eventually, this gives you a way to make up new words for the stuff YOU are going to discover (if you become a scientist). Pretty soon, instead of saying "inside the cell fluid" you'll say "endoplasmic" ... how convenient is that?

So at first the memorization just feels pointless and boring ... but trust me, the words start to click into place after a while, and it suddenly *all* becomes *really* interesting.

It's like learning a new language ... you have to learn the language a bit before you can say anything interesting with it ... but then the things you can say are *really* interesting.

Answer 2

I agree with the answer above it is all about repitition, repitition, repitition. Science can be fascinating and very boring at some points. You are not lazy, some of the stuff taught can seem unusable and unimportant but i assure you if you just stick it out and learn as much as possible, you wont regret it. The main thing is trying to make it fun. Have someone quiz you. Your best bet is to hear it, write it and speak it. Follow diagrams and processes buy speaking them and even drawing fancy pictures. I know it sounds stupid but it will help. FYI check out the "Origin of Species: by Charles Darwin if you havent already. This might increase your willingness to learn. Hope this helps. Good luck. If you have any more questions feel free to email.

Answer 3

No your not lazy. I'm a biochemistry specialist and i have TERRIBLE memory. I find it useless and it seems like i shoulud be studying the concepts and desigining problems and experiments when you can just look up names in a book. But for school, they have to force you to memorize things. All i do is study with a friend and test each other. I find that's the best way for me to memorize things. And i wouldnt call it memorizing, but increasing my knowledge base lol...

Plus, in my opinion, there's nothing boring in science besides quantum physics which i don't understand. Biochem is probably the funnest thing there is because there is just so much questions to be answered if you look hard enough.

Answer 4

If you simply attempt to memorize, it is going to force you nuts. Don't memorize - LEARN. Work for know-how, and it is NOT dull. If you realize WHY 2 chemical compounds react, you are now not going to must memorize. If you comprehend what the ones cellphone elements DO, you will not must memorize - it is going to without problems make feel, and will probably be some thing you KNOW. If you are not able to manage the training, how do you feel you are going to manage a role?

Answer 5

I just memorize things section by section until its stuck into my head. I know its real boring, but you've gotta do all this if you want that job, right? Make flash cards or try to make a song or something to remember the names of the cells etc.