In 1885 Hermann Ebbinghaus memorized lists of nonsense syllables and tracked how fast he lost them. Memory decays steeply at first, then levels off — but each review resets the curve and makes forgetting slower. Drag the day marker and build a review schedule to see it.
Retention over time
With reviewNo reviewReview point
Ebbinghaus, 1885drag the marker & add reviews
Day markerDay 7
Review schedule — tap a day to study the list again:
With review—
No review—
Spacing effect: Ebbinghaus found that distributed practice (spread out) beats massed practice (crammed) — the backbone of every flashcard and spaced-repetition app today.