Memory is the ability to store information in your mind and recall it later. When you remember your best friend's birthday, the capital of France, or how to ride a bike, you're using your memory.

Memory works like an enormous, complicated filing system in your brain. Some memories are easy to access, like your own name or where you live. Others take more effort to retrieve, like what you had for lunch last Tuesday. Scientists who study memory have discovered that your brain stores different types of information in different ways. Facts like “2 + 2 = 4” live in one kind of memory, while the skill of tying your shoes lives in another.

The strength of a memory often depends on how you formed it. Information you review repeatedly, like multiplication tables you practice over and over, becomes easier to remember. Memories tied to strong emotions or unique experiences, like your first day of school or a surprise party, often stick with you for years.

People sometimes talk about having a “good memory” or a “bad memory,” and memory is a skill many people try to improve with practice. Memory athletes compete in championships by memorizing hundreds of random numbers or the order of multiple shuffled decks of cards, using special techniques.

The word also refers to the actual information stored in your mind. A memory might be something simple, like remembering where you put your homework, or something precious, like a memory of your grandfather telling stories. When someone has passed away, people often say they cherish their memories of that person.