What Is a Mnemonic Image?
A mnemonic image is a visual image that encodes data to make it easier to memorize.
Simple Mnemonic Images
An example of a mnemonic image would be using a visual image of a deck of cards to represent the number 52, because there are 52 cards in a deck. It is easier to hold a visual image of a deck of cards in memory than it is to hold the number 52.
When combined with other techniques, like memory palaces and peg lists, mnemonic images can help you remember vast amounts of information.
Compound Mnemonic Images
A compound mnemonic image is a mnemonic image that is composed of more than one sub-image.
An example of how compound mnemonic images work can be found in the PAO System, where every 2-digit number has three associated images — a person, an action, and an object. The images from different numbers are then combined to make a compound image.
To learn more about how images work in the PAO system, check out this video:
In the PAO system, a number like 15 would have an associated person, action, and object.
If using the Dominic System, the person could be Albert Einstein, the action could be writing on, and the object could be a blackboard. Each 2-digit number would have a different person, an action, and an object.
When memorizing long numbers, you would chunk them into three groups of two digits. The person would be taken from the 2-digit number, the action would be taken from the second 2-digit number, and the object would be taken from the object for the third 2-digit number.
The final result would be a compound mnemonic image built from the person, the action, and the object of three different 2-digit numbers.
