Make the next review count.
Ebbinghaus studied how retention changed with time. Reviews can restore accessibility; this experiment explores one simplified way repeated study might slow later forgetting.
Inside this model
Retention is exp(−time since review / strength). A review resets retention to 100% and multiplies strength by 1 + boost. Reviews occur on the chosen interval, strictly before day 30; the comparison has no reviews.
Out in the world
A practical use
Use the chart to think about revision timing for vocabulary or procedures. Compare review effort with what the model retains on the final day.
A useful lens. Not a universal law.
- This exponential curve and multiplicative review benefit are teaching assumptions, not Ebbinghaus's fitted curve or a validated scheduling algorithm. Familiarity, sleep and retrieval success are omitted.
Associated thinkers
Further reading
Explore the original research or the teaching reference behind this experiment.
Hermann Ebbinghaus — Memory, retention and forgetting ↗