
        COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CONCERNING SUPER-MEMO
                        (June 3, 1993)

Q: Can a computer-illiterate person use SuperMemo?
A: Yes. The entire knowledge needed to start is encompassed in the
   2-page-long Minimum User's Guide which is present on the distribution
   disks as MINGUID5.TXT, MINGUID6.TXT or MINGUID7. 5 simple operations
   needed to use SuperMemo can be learned in less than 10 minutes!
   No specialized knowledge is required.

Q: What computers can I use SuperMemo with?
A: SuperMemo 6 will work on all IBM XT/AT compatible clones with a
   single floppy disk drive and 512K memory.
   SuperMemo 7 requires IBM AT, 1MB memory and 1MB hard disk space.
   Versions of SuperMemo for Commodore Amiga and Apple MacIntosh are
   in preparation.
   There is also a simple version of SuperMemo developed for Atari XL
   (for more info about the Atari implementation, write to Przemyslaw
   Glowacki, Os Przyjazni 11-154, Poznan, Poland)

Q: Can I use SuperMemo with emulated DOS on Atari ST or Amiga?
A: SuperMemo 5 can be run on Amiga. SuperMemo 6 can be run on
   Atari ST (PC Ditto 3.64). In both cases, the program is greatly
   slowed down.

Q: Can I buy SuperMemo COD?
A: Only in Poland, yes.

Q: After buying SuperMemo, what sort of discounts in buying upgrades
   can I expect?
A: SuperMemo World's policy is to provide as large upgrade discounts as
   it is only economically viable. Usually, the upgrade costs only a
   little more than the price difference between particular software
   versions.

Q: If I don't have a computer, can I use SuperMemo?
A: Yes. A limited, paper-and-pencil variant of SuperMemo exists, and
   is shortly described in the pamphlet distributed by SuperMemo World:
   "How to use SuperMemo without a computer?".
   Also, on the distribution disks, you will find a file SMPAP.TXT
   which provides all information necessary to start using SuperMemo
   without a computer.

Q: Can I use SuperMemo in a computer lab?
A: Yes, on condition that the access to computers in the laboratory is
   regular. Once you start working with SuperMemo, you must continue
   the process of repetitions. Otherwise, the acquired knowledge will
   gradually be forgotten (e.g. if you stop after having used SuperMemo
   for 5 years, you will forget 60% of the learned information in the
   first year!).

Q: What are the basic differences between SuperMemo 2, 5, 6 and 7?
A: The full record of upgrades introduced to SuperMemo is listed in the
   DEVELOP.TXT file on the distribution disks.
   In short, all SuperMemos allow the learner to substantially increase
   the speed of learning. Figuratively, if traditional methods of learning
   are viewed as a pedestrian, SuperMemo 2 may be compared to a bicycle,
   SuperMemo 5 to a Trabant, and SuperMemo 6/7 to a Mercedes.
   Each version produces additional increase in the speed of learning,
   as well as improvements in the user's interface, database management,
   fault tolerance, statistical analysis options, menu-tree, keyboard
   shortcuts, parameter set, help, etc. Moreover, in SuperMemo 6/7, the
   speed of learning may be regulated by the learner (in a trade-off with
   knowledge retention).
   SuperMemos 2, 5 and 6 where written for DOS, while SuperMemo 7 is a
   Windows application.

Q: What is the size of SuperMemo 2, 5, 6 and 7 in KB?
A: The sizes are as follows:
       SM2   77 KB +  48 KB of help
       SM5  108 KB +  71 KB of help
       SM6  156 KB + 154 KB of help
       SM7  500 KB + 190 KB of help + 150 KB of DLL
   Note, that the size of the program cannot be used as a measure
   of its quality. For example, the source code of SM6 is about
   8 times longer than that of SM2, and it was written with the
   view to maximum compactness in order to make SM6 available to
   users with minimum configuration PCs. Moreover, the SM7 help is
   distributed in a compressed form.

Q: What is the size of SuperMemo together with a database?
A: The size of SuperMemo 6 with the Basic English database (3,000 items)
   is: SM6.EXE 156 KB + database files 194 KB = 350 KB.
   The usual size of databases is no more than (5 + 0.1*no_items) KB.
   The size of SuperMemo 7 with the Advanced English database
   (38,000 items) is:
   SM7.EXE 500 KB + DLLs 150 KB + database files 2,700 KB = 3,350 MB

Q: Can I write my own SuperMemo databases concerning topics of my
   interest?
A: Yes.

Q: If I prepare a database for SuperMemo, can I sell it to
   SuperMemo World?
A: Yes. Particularly, if it is a good database, on a popular topic,
   and preferably written in English. Otherwise, your database may
   be included in the Database Bank, and you will be paid royalties
   from each copy sold.

Q: Can I get a copy of SuperMemo in return for a good database?
A: Yes. You can develop the database in a word processor, using SuperMemo
   shareware, or using a demonstration copy of SuperMemo.

Q: What databases for SuperMemo 2 can I get from SuperMemo World?
A: Because of low profitability, SuperMemo World does not collect
   databases for SM2. Contact shareware houses for information about
   SuperMemo 2 shareware databases.

Q: What databases are there in the SuperMemo World's Database Bank?
A: See DBANK.TXT for the most recent listing of databases available.

Q: If I have an item in my database, and I want to memorize it after
   memorizing some of the items that follow it, what should I do?
A: 1. Give a dummy response quality in the Learn option (e.g. 5).
   2. Press Ctrl-R (SM6) or Alt-R (SM7).

Q: I left for vacation, and my learning process is in mess. I want to
   start all over again. What should I do?
A: 1. If you have SuperMemo version 6.5 or later, use the options
      Reset-Wipe and then Mercy to clean up the mess.
   2. If you have SuperMemo version 6.4, use Mercy.
   3. In older SuperMemos, use RESET6.EXE on the database in question
      (TRANSF5 for SM5). Remember to set the date in the computer!

Q: My computer was hit by a virus. SuperMemo reports integrity errors and
   I cannot work. What should I do?
A: Use RECOV5.EXE, RECOV6.EXE, or RESCUE.EXE on the database in question
   Remember to back up your database beforehand.

Q: I used a demonstration copy of SuperMemo, developed a large database,
   and cannot work any longer because the computer asks me for the monthly
   password. How can I resume work?
A: The only things you have to do are: (1) buy a legal copy of SuperMemo
   (2) clean your database with RECOV6.EXE or RESCUE.EXE.

Q: I use SuperMemo 6 on a Russian-made PC and one of your databases
   displays Russian characters in place of pronunciation codes.
   How can I remedy this problem?
A: You can choose either of the following:
    - install a suitable code page on your PC (see your DOS manual)
    - use REPSTR.EXE to replace the pronunciation codes with values
      which are appropriate for your PC (see TOOLKIT.TXT)
    - use FONTDES.EXE to design your own pronunciation character set

Q: How can I activate word wrapping in the item editor?
A: Word wrapping is available only is SuperMemo 6 starting with version
   6.4.

Q: In your materials I found a contradiction. On one hand you claim
   that once learned knowledge is constantly maintained in the learners
   memory, on the other you say that after ceasing repetitions, I will
   gradually forget what I have learnt. Which is true?
A: Both facts are true. The term 'maintained' is understood as 'kept in
   memory by means of repetitions', not as 'remains in memory for ever'.

Q: The User's Guide often mentions that the user should periodically back
   up his/her databases. What does it mean and how to do it?
A: To back up a file means to copy it to an archive diskette in case the
   original file were to be lost or damaged.
   You can back up your files by means of DOS commands such us COPY or
   XCOPY, as well as by means of tools such as Norton Commander, PC Tools
   or Windows' File Manager.
   For example, if you keep your ENGLISH database in the directory
   C:\SM\DB\ then you can back it up on the diskette in drive A: by
   issuing:

       XCOPY C:\SM\DB\ENGLISH.* A: /V

Q: Can SuperMemo work with other file formats, e.g., ASCII, DBase, Lotus,
   Word Perfect, Quattro Pro, ChiWriter, etc.?
A: No. However, if the files contain data in the form of questions and
   answers (e.g. word pairs), they can easily be converted to SuperMemo
   format. The easiest way is to convert them to the TXT format accepted
   by TO_SORT.EXE (see SuperMemo Toolkit in PRODUCTS.TXT).

Q: How can I print the content of a whole database?
A: (1) Use TO_TEXT.EXE with option SLIM to convert a database to the
   text format, and (2) print the created text file.
   (TO_TEXT.EXE is included in SuperMemo 7, or can be ordered separately
   as part of SuperMemo 6 ToolKit)

Q: How to change the physical order of items in a database?
A: (1) Use TO_TEXT.EXE or TRANSFER.EXE with option TXT to convert a
   database to the text format, (2) word-process the text file, (3)
   convert the text file to the STB format (TO_SORT.EXE), and (4)
   convert the STB file to the ITM format (TO_SM.EXE).
   (TO_TEXT, TRANSFER.EXE, TO_SORT.EXE, and TO_SM.EXE are part of
   SuperMemo 7, or can be ordered separately with SuperMemo 6 ToolKit)

Q: I am creating a database for a group of students. How can we do the
   work simultaneously, i.e. creating the database and learning, without
   the need to type all the questions to each of the databases
   separately?
A: Use TRANSFER.EXE each time you add a new portion of items to your
   database. A batch file of the following format might be a good hint:
      Syntax:    MOVE <first_item> <last_item>
      Content:   TRANSFER S=TEACHER D=ROBERT %1-%2 RESET
                 TRANSFER S=TEACHER D=ANYA %1-%2 RESET
                 TRANSFER S=TEACHER D=TOMASZ %1-%2 RESET
                 TRANSFER S=TEACHER D=VERONICA %1-%2 RESET
      Example:   MOVE 2001-MAX

Q: I ran SuperMemo 6 on my PC and I could see only first letters of all
   the options. The rest was invisible! Is my version of SuperMemo wrong
   for my graphic controller?
A: No. All you have to do is to turn color off in your parameter set.
   To do this follow the step below:
      1. Run SuperMemo
      2. Press Alt-P to open the parameters menu
      3. Press C to turn color off
      4. Press W to overwrite the old parameter setting (follow it with
         Y if the confirmation is requested)

Q: I cannot run Garbage. The message ERROR: CANNOT CREATE GARBAGE FILES
   appears. What should I do?
A: Probably, you have specified a wrong path. Make sure that the path you
   type in really exists.
   If you still have problems, the simplest way is to press space
   when INPUT GARBAGE DIRECTORY PATH appears on the screen. This way,
   Garbage will use the current directory.

Q: For some time now, the Grade parameter hardly changes in the PROCESS
   pane of the main window. Is something wrong going on?
A: Parameters such as Grade, Lapses, Retention, Mean time or Workload are,
   or are derived from, averages or trailing averages. Therefore, the
   longer you have been learning, the less they change. After a year or
   so, you will hardly see them change.

Q: When I back up my databases, do I have to back up SM5.EXE, SM6.EXE,
   or SM7.EXE as well?
A: No.

Q: What do you mean by saying 'do not modify databases manually'?
A: Databases should be modifying only by means of tools supplied by
   SuperMemo World, i.e. the user should not edit them with file
   editing tools, nor with his or her own programs.

Q: How can Repetition indicate 7 while Cases 31. Which number is
   true?
A: Repetition says how many times a given item has been repeated.
   Cases indicates how many repetition cases, of various items,
   have been used to compute entries of OF and RF matrices.
   In other words, Repetition (in the ITEM pane [SM6] or in Item
   Parameters [SM7]) concerns a single item, while Cases (in the TEST
   pane [SM6] or in Repetition Parameters [SM7]) concerns many items
   with the same E-Factor and Repetition values.

Q: How can the average interval (Interval in the main window) be
   longer than the number of days I have spent on learning (Day in
   the main window)?
A: It is possible. For example, imagine that you have just started
   learning and you have memorized only one item. If its New Interval is
   4 days you will have the following in the main window:
          Day 1
          Interval 4.0

Q: What should I use Duplicate/Copy for? What for do I need the same
   item in the same database?
A: You can duplicate an item, if you want to add to the database another
   item which is only slightly different. This way you can spare some
   time by reediting the old item instead of typing the new one.

Q: I think that lower grades, e.g. 3, should produce shorter intervals in
   comparison to higher grades, e.g. 5. It is not always so in SuperMemo.
A: In SuperMemo, lower grades may produce longer intervals because of the
   two following reasons:
    - Grade 3 may result in the enhancement of the so-called spacing
      effect, which may be less visible for Grade 5. The spacing effect
      says that longer intervals, and consequently greater recall efforts,
      produce more stable memory engrams. SuperMemo does not arbitrarily
      set the function of optimal intervals. It computes intervals which
      are most likely to result in the forgetting index defined in
      Miscellaneous:Parameters:Lapses; hence; the possibility of longer
      intervals for lower grades.
    - irregularities in computing optimum intervals may also result from
      the fact that some entries of the RF and OF matrices can be computed
      more accurately than others, depending on the number of repetition
      cases recorded in the process. The real-time smoothing of the OF
      matrix is used to counteract this problem. Moreover, highly
      irregular matrices, resulting from longer breaks in learning, can
      be smoothed by means of the option Miscellaneous:Approximate.

Q: I used SuperMemo 2 shareware, and was accustomed to repeating
   forgotten items on the next day. It is very irritating that in
   SuperMemo 6 I do not have this possibility.
A: SuperMemo 6 will schedule forgotten items in intervals which are
   determined by the desired forgetting index. The greatest increase
   in the speed of learning with SM6/SM7 as compared to SM2 resulted
   from substantially increasing the length of the first interval!
   The learner may be left with the feeling that he is likely to forget
   the item again if it is not repeated on the next day. Statistically,
   however, he will forget no more than the proportion defined by the
   forgetting index (specified in Miscellaneous:Parameters:Lapses).
   By reducing the forgetting index to less than 5%, the length of the
   first interval is likely to drop to 1-2 days in most cases.

Q: Why is the first interval after which the first repetition takes
   place not equal in all cases?
A: It is randomly modified to speed up computing its optimal value,
   as well as to produce smooth distribution of repetitions in a period of
   a few days.

Q: I have been using your program for one week. In my estimation, I can
   learn no more than 50-100% faster than without the program. Do you
   claim that my estimation is conservative?
A: No. The power of SuperMemo can only fully be observed after a longer
   period of time. The estimation of the 50-fold increase in the speed
   of learning concerns lifelong perspective. By using mnemonic
   techniques, you can easily beat SuperMemo in periods of up to one
   month. In other words, SuperMemo will not work for those you want
   to cram a great deal of data before an exam. On the other hand,
   it is of invaluable help for those who want to retain indispensable
   facts and figures for months and years.

Q: I found some errors in your databases. How can I correct them?
A: When you see the wrong item on the screen, press E (for Edit) and
   edit the item. In editing, use arrow keys, backspace, etc.
   In SuperMemo 6, do not press E at the moment when SuperMemo expects
   a grade in learning (in SuperMemo 7, you can click one of the item
   fields, question or answer, and edit the item)

Q: Why can I not see the correlation between intervals and the grades
   given in learning?
A: Your impression of no correlation between grades and intervals is
   quite common among those who begin their work with SuperMemo.
   It results from the fact that at memorizing new items, first intervals
   are randomly dispersed around a fixed value.
   This value comes from the model of an average learner, and can
   be modified only after the repetitions have shed some light
   on if the value should be increased, decreased or kept at the
   same level. Consequently, it will often happen that a lower
   grade will produce a longer interval and vice versa.
   At memorizing new items, grades cannot be used to estimate item
   difficulty because the program has no way of knowing if good
   grades come from easiness of items or from the fact that a given
   group of items has just been input to the database (inputting
   items is a form of repetition).
   You will start noticing the correlation between grades and
   intervals in a week or two.

Q: (1) I want to spend my money on the MegaMemory program delivered
   on cassette tapes. How would you convince me, that I should rather
   spend money on buying SuperMemo (2) Is SuperMemo the same as
   SuperLearning developed by Dr Georgi Lozanov from Bulgaria? (3)
   Which techniques produce a greater increase in the speed of
   learning: SuperMemo or the mind maps proposed by Tony Buzan?
A: The mnemonic techniques (Tony Buzan, MegaMemory, etc.), SuperLearning
   (Dr Georgi Lozanov) and SuperMemo are all complementary, and make up
   the three pillars of effective learning. All of them have to do with
   optimization:
    * In SuperLearning the stress is on optimizing the cognitive
      environment which produces the best effects on the learning
      process.
    * In mnemonic techniques, the representation of knowledge is
      optimized in order to produce the most durable memory engrams.
    * In SuperMemo, the optimization concerns the spacing of
      repetitions.
   To be a successful learner, you have to apply mnemonic techniques
   while using SuperMemo in a optimum cognitive environment. The
   important advantage of SuperMemo is that many capable learners
   develop quite good techniques as far as mnemonics is concerned.
   They can also reasonably master their own physiology to subject it
   to the learning effort. However, they have no way of optimizing the
   spacing of repetitions. Mostly due to the fact that the amount and
   complexity of computation needed to determine the spacing require
   the use of a computer, and the technology proprietary to SuperMemo
   World. You are advised to follow the teachings of Tony Buzan, Kevin
   Trudeau and Georgi Lozanov; however, if you are a capable learner,
   you can safely commit your foremost priority to learning how to
   optimize your learning schedule. As for now, SuperMemo is the
   world's best tool developed to assist you in this task.

Q: How do you respond to the accusation that the whole SuperMemo theory
   is contradicted by the claim stated in the MegaMemory program of the
   American Memory Institute, which says that forming indelible memories
   is possible if suitable representation of the learned knowledge is
   used?
A: AMI is a commercial, not scientific institution. The claim that their
   program produces indelible memories can only be understood as part of
   the marketing strategy used to promote their otherwise very
   interesting program. The concept of permastore has been proposed in a
   limited number of publications in the field of psychology; however,
   the data collected in the research on molecular aspects of memory
   clearly refutes such as possibility. In SuperMemo, items whose optimal
   intervals reach beyond the biologically determined lifespan can be
   considered part of the permanent memory store. The easiest way to
   disprove the AMI's claim is to use their program to memorize a large
   body of intractable knowledge with and without help of SuperMemo
   (e.g. 1000 phone numbers would do). The knowledge retention after a
   6-month-long period will stand at 85-98% with SuperMemo (depending
   on the forgetting index), and 5-15% without it (depending on
   individual capabilities)!

Q: Do you not think that the minimum information principles stands in
   conflict with the ages old rule that the learned knowledge should be
   highly associative in nature?
A: No. The minimum information principles concerns the representation
   of knowledge in SuperMemo databases, not in the learner's memory,
   and it does not prevent great advantages coming from proper
   structuring of the learned material. In the optimum situation, the
   learner should first construct a cohesive model of the learned
   subject, and only then, apply SuperMemo to make sure that the
   learned knowledge is sustained in memory as a whole. The knowledge
   may be highly associative, but strictly targeted neural stimulation,
   achieved by means of granular representation of knowledge in
   SuperMemo, is necessary to effectively induce molecular processes
   responsible for memory formation.

Q: On what basis do you ground your claim that SuperMemo increases the
   speed of learning from 10-50 times?
A: For knowledge retention of 95%, it can be computed that the number
   of repetitions in an average learning lifetime (i.e. about 55 years)
   is 50 times greater for equally spaced repetitions than for
   progressive repetitions (as used in SuperMemo). For repetitions with
   no regular spacing scheme, this number may even be greater. Moreover,
   the greater the required knowledge retention, the greater the increase
   in the knowledge acquisition rate (classical forms of learning almost
   never reach knowledge retention above 10%!!!). In practise, users of
   SuperMemo claim that it increases their speed of learning from 50% to
   2000%. These values are, however, highly subjective, as they do not
   account for so-called intractable items, which are practically
   unmemorizable without SuperMemo. In other words, learners tend to
   underestimate the fact that they reach knowledge retention from
   90-99%, which would hardly be achievable using any other method.

Q: Can SuperMemo be used to forget things?
A: Forgetting is a molecular process that cannot easily be induced by
   natural methods. The more so, there are no sensitive methods to
   induce selective forgetting, though lesion to some parts of the
   cerebral cortex may produce roughly localized amnesia. However,
   there is a component of forgetting that may be influenced. This
   component is interference. Whenever we learn new things, they always
   interfere with previously learned material. The interference may
   enhance some of memories while obliterating others. This fact can
   be used to employ SuperMemo in forgetting, by formulating and
   memorizing a large number of contradictory items that strongly
   interfere with remembered facts that are to be forgotten. However,
   you should not expect the effectiveness of such a procedure to be
   anything but discouraging.

Q: When and how can I use Wipe?
A: Use Wipe in the following circumstances:
     * if you want to slightly postpone some of the repetitions, e.g.
       in a busy period (Run Wipe)
     * if you want to eliminate some of intractable items from the
       learning process (until you decide to memorize them again)
       (^Reset-Wipe)
  Use Wipe as follows:
     * choose the maximum interval of items that are to be Wiped
       or Reset (e.g. 7 days after a shorter break in learning, or
       200 days after a summer vacation)
     * if you intend to use Run Wipe as opposed to ^Reset-Wipe,
       choose the interval increase factor (usually 1.1-1.3)
     * choose R or ^R

Q: Are databases of SuperMemo 6 compatible with SuperMemo 7?
A: Databases of SuperMemo 6 are compatible with SuperMemo 7; however,
   ASCII characters below 32 and above 128 may be defined differently
   in DOS and Windows environments. Moreover, spaces (char #32) in
   standard non-fixed Windows fonts have lower width, which may corrupt
   some mathematical or chemical formulas.
   You can easily remedy the above problems by means of REPSTR.EXE
   program included in every SM7 package (see TOOLKIT.TXT).

Q: Why is Lapses (5) 12% upon upgrading SuperMemo 2 databases to
   SuperMemo 6? Why are the real values not computed?
A: Databases in SuperMemo 2 and 5 do not keep Lapses information
   (measured forgetting index). Therefore, upon conversion, default
   values are taken.
   Lapses should be set to 10 by default as in SuperMemo 6, but the
   upgrade program UP_5_6.EXE ver. 1.5 still used the outdated default 5.
   It has been changed to 10 in the version 1.6.

Q: I set Lapses to 10 and used Approximate but I do not know if this
   generated optimal OF and RF matrices?
A: You cannot do much damage with Approximate. Even if optimization
   slows down a bit, the program should recover fast by modifying the
   OF matrix to suit the optimum schedule.
   Moreover, note that Approximate does not affect the RF matrix.

Q: Why can I not see the effect of different grades during memorizing
   new items, and during the final drill? Are grades used there, and
   how?
A: At memorizing and at final drill, the interpretation of grades is
   limited to Pass (4 or more) and Fail (less than 4).
   None of the optimization parameters are affected.
   Here are the reasons:
    - at memorizing new items, grades cannot be used to determine
      item difficulty, because the program has no way of knowing if
      a good grade resulted from easiness of the item or from the fact
      that the user has just input the given item to the database.
      Consequently, grades cannot affect optimization, and are only
      used to detect items that should be scheduled for final drill.
    - Final drill is not used for optimization either. This is because
      of the fact that final drill relies on short-term memory, and
      is substantially more sensitive to inter-item interference as
      well as more dependent on the number of other items separating
      repetitions of the item in question.
      Final drill is used solely for the purpose of fixing the forgotten
      information in the user's brain. Grades are used only to eliminate
      from the final drill those items which score 4 or more.

Q: What is the address of the Grossman Club?
A: To our knowledge, the club does not have any official seat.

Q: Why do some of SuperMemo items seem to fall out of the item
   editor in SuperMemo 6.x?
A: This problem may appear in databases created in SuperMemo 7.x
   for SuperMemo 7.x. The database should be reedited in SuperMemo 7.x,
   or its 6.x equivalent should be used.

Q: Why is it not possible to use databases of SuperMemo 7.x with
   SuperMemo 6.x?
A: SuperMemo 7.x was not designed as backward compatible with
   SuperMemo 6.x. The main compatibility problem is that SM7 allows
   of longer text lines in its items. The solution is to reedit long
   items in SM7 by shortening its text lines. On the other hand,
   SM6 databases can easily be adapted for use with SM7. The main
   problem are different fonts used by DOS and Windows. Fonts can
   easily be changed by means of the string replacing utility
   REPSTR.EXE (see TOOLKIT.TXT)

Q: What is the meaning of beeps produced by TO_SORT.EXE?
A: If TO_SORT encounters an item which is too long, it issues a beep,
   stores the text of the item in the file LONG.TXT, and does NOT
   add a new item line to the STB file.

Q: I have created my own question and answer files in ASCII. I would
   like to convert them into SuperMemo databases. What is the easiest
   way?
A: Manually or programmatically, convert the files to the TXT format
   acceptable by TO_SORT (all question lines starting with 'Q:' and
   all answer lines starting with 'A:'). Run TO_SORT and TO_SM (in
   the latter case remember to change the extension from SRT to STB
   in the program, or from STB to SRT in the file).

Q: Are you planning to add audio capability to SuperMemo?
A: SuperMemo 7.1 AudioVisual can play Windows WAV files in
   association with the answer (a sound board required).

Q: What sound boards is SuperMemo 7.1 AudioVisual compatible with?
A: All Windows compatible sound boards (Sound Recorders should be
   able to play WAV files).

Q: How to get Polish diacritical characters and Polish keyboard in
   SuperMemo 6?
A: Copy and rename FNT and KBD files which come with the Basic English
   database (only in SuperMemo 6.7 or later).
   For example, if your database is named MY_ENG, you can issue
      COPY BAS_ENG6.FNT MY_ENG.*
      COPY BAS_ENG6.KBD MY_ENG.*
   Look into the KBD file to see the key combinations used to get
   Polish characters on the screen.
   Make sure that the newly created files can be found in the same
   directory as your database.

Q: How to convert databases between different standards of diacritical
   character codes (e.g. Mazovia and Latin II for Polish)?
A: Use REPSTR.EXE (see TOOLKIT.TXT). Define your own CNV file or use
   CNV files supplied by SuperMemo World (if available).

Q: How can I run SuperMemo on a network?
A: Install the program on the server, and let particular learners keep
   their databases in their home directories. All the users will share
   the parameters stored in the PAR file (and the CFG file of SuperMemo 7),
   though each of them will have his or her own learning parameters, which
   will not interfere with those of the other learners.

Q: Can I use SuperMemo to improve intelligence?
A: Yes.
   Let us define intelligence as the capability to process information.
   Your brain is like a computer: the better software it runs, the better
   it performs. You can identify the elements of knowledge that, for
   example, will make you perform better in intelligence tests. Those
   elements, if representable in audiovisual or textual form, can be used
   to learn, and consequently, improve your intelligence.
   Yet much greater scope for improvement will come with programmable
   SuperMemo (available yet in 1993) in which, you will be able to write
   your own DLL libraries of repetitions.
   With programmable SuperMemo you will be able to learn everything that
   does not require specialized hardware!

Q: Why are intervals in SuperMemo so long? In SuperMemo 2 they used to
   be much shorter.
A: They are as long as it takes to produce the desired proportion of
   items to be forgotten at repetitions. If intervals are irritatingly
   long, reduce the lapses parameter, and follow it with Approximate.

Q: Why are some of the items repeated in intervals that increase by
   just one day between repetitions? I am certain that those intervals
   could be longer.
A: The intervals are as long as it takes to produce the desired
   proportion of items to be forgotten at repetitions. If repetitions are
   irritatingly frequent, increase the lapses parameter, and follow it
   with Approximate.

Q: Why are E-factors always equal 2.5 at the beginning of repetitions?
A: Historically, the value 2.5 comes from the development of SuperMemo;
   not from any specific property of memory. It could be 0.25 or 25 as
   soon as all the remaining optimization parameters were modified
   accordingly. You can look at E-factors as a very rough approximation
   of O-factors for the forgetting index equal 15% and the repetition
   number greater than 2.

Q: Why do not grades affect E-factors in memorizing new items?
A: At memorizing new items, grades cannot be used to estimate item
   difficulty because the program has no way of knowing if good
   grades come from easiness of items or from the fact that a given
   group of items has just been input to the database (inputting
   items is a form of repetition). E-factors can only be verifiably
   modified after the lapse of the first interval.

Q: Upon undeleting a mistakenly deleted database, the search procedure
   started doing strange things. I could not remedy the problem with
   your recovery tools. What should I do?
A: Run Garbage. Remember that RECOV6.EXE and RESCUE.EXE do not recover
   from the damage to ITM files which store the text of items. The only
   way to recover from ITM file damage is to run Garbage, and try to
   rescue particular items manually.

Q: Why does SuperMemo ask only those items which are difficult?
A: Just because they are difficult. You do not want to learn things
   you already know, do you? The purpose of SuperMemo optimization is
   to compute the best intervals between repetitions. Difficult items must
   be repeated more often; hence the impression that only the hardest
   items are considered in the process.

Q: Why is the Edit window in SuperMemo 7 called EDIT 1, not just EDIT?
A: Because it is the first Edit window created. If you open more Edit
   windows, they will be marked by the number of similar windows
   created on your desktop (e.g. EDIT 2, EDIT 3, etc.).

Q: Why does not SuperMemo mix the order of items scheduled for
   repetitions? I have introduced some words in an alphabetical order
   and they are asked in the same order at repetitions. This is not
   optimal.
A: True. Please note, however, that items will be mixed as soon as
   their E-factors and intervals become different. The major advantage
   of not mixing items is the fact that at repetitions, short interval
   items are asked first. The learner has a general feeling of how
   long intervals are assigned to items that are currently being asked.
   This makes it possible to sharpen the accuracy of grading for
   long-interval items whose inaccurate placement in the repetition
   schedule has more severe consequences for the learning process.

Q: How can I increase the frequency of repetitions before an exam?
A: SuperMemo is not supposed to be used as a cramming tool. It is
   rather designed for those who want to keep knowlege in their memory
   for a longer period of time (from one year to lifetime).
   To maximize the frequency of repetitions set Lapses to 3 (option
   Miscellaneous:Parameters) and run Approximate. The day before the
   exam you might try Random test, but be sure that it will introduce
   a lot of noise into your long-term learning process.

Q: Why do I have negative entries in the first column of the optimal
   factor matrix (SuperMemo 6)? This quarrels with the definition of
   an O-factor? I also get negative OFs in Approximate (SuperMemo 6).
A: (1) The first column in the option Optimal factors displays a weighted
       average of OF[r,EF]-OF[r,EF-0.1] (only in SuperMemo 6) where
       OF[r,EF] is O-factor for the r-th repetition and E-factor EF.
       This average is usualy negative for the first repetition, and
       positive for all other repetitions.
       The columns of the OF-matrix are denoted 1.3, 1.4, etc.
   (2) The function used to approximate the OF-matrix (let us denote it
       Fa(OF)) is not used directly in the state-evaluation function of
       the approximaation procedure (let us denote it SEF(OF)).
       SEF could be illustrated algorithmically as follows:
           if Fa(OF[r,EF])>OFmin[r,EF] then SEF:=Fa(OF[r,EF])-OF[r,EF]
              else SEF:=OFmin[r,EF]-OF[r,EF]
       The approximation minimizes the absolute value |SEF|, and is not
       greatly suppressed by negative Fa(OF) values. However, the resulting
       Fa(OF) is displayed as is, though its entries might be negative.
       Obviously, the new OF matrix cannot contain negative entries and
       each time Fa(OF[r,EF]) is less than OFmin[r,EF], the entry OF[r,EF]
       will be set to OFmin[r,EF]. This approach produces lower |SEF|
       than simple SEF:=Fa(OF[r,EF])-OF[r,EF]; hence it is preferred.

Q: Why are O-factors displayed up to E-factor=2.5, while R-factors up to
   E-factor=3.2 (in SuperMemo 6)?
A: Press PgUp to see the remaining columns of the OF-matrix.

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