Skip to content

The Forgetting Curve Simulator

Run the Forgetting Curve Simulator Fullscreen Edit Using the p5.js Editor

About This MicroSim

This MicroSim plots the Ebbinghaus retention curve R = e^(-t/S) over a 60-day time horizon. Two curves are superimposed: a baseline "no review" curve that decays exponentially, and a "with review" curve whose strength parameter S increases at each scheduled review, producing the characteristic sawtooth pattern that rises above the baseline over time.

Controls:

  • Initial Strength (S) -- the memory strength at encoding, from 1 to 10 days
  • Review Schedule -- choose from None, Daily, SM-2 Expanding (1, 3, 7, 14, 30 days), or Leitner Doubling
  • Strength Gain per Review -- multiplicative factor (1.5x to 3x) by which S increases at each review
  • Show Area Under Curve -- shades the integral of retention to visualize total knowledge held
  • Reset -- restores default values

Learning Objective (Analyze): Given a review schedule, predict whether the resulting retention trajectory will beat a no-review baseline at day 30.