science

Meme pool

Meme pool is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meme pool rather than just read about it. In short: A meme pool is the sum total of all memes (transmittable units of cultural ideas, practices, symbols) present in a given human population. The term is analogous to gene pool.

Key takeaways

Meme pool belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Meme pool to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Meme pool from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A meme pool is the sum total of all memes (transmittable units of cultural ideas, practices, symbols) present in a given human population. The term is analogous to gene pool. The meme pool is in essence the matrix of the whole of the culture of a population. Because the memes of instruction of production of material culture are included, then the entire culture, including material culture and interactions between individuals is determined by information held within the meme pool. The state of a meme pool determines what sort of memes will be reproductive, and in this way it may be thought of as the meme-logical environment. Examples of meme pools may include large Internet communities such as imageboards, online forums, and wikis. More tangibly, large shopping malls, schools, and other social institutions may be included in the definition of a meme pool. The term was coined by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meme pool

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meme pool claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meme pool before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meme pool ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meme pool

In research: Meme pool appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meme pool in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meme pool is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Memetics, Semiotics stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meme pool outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meme pool in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meme pool means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Meme pool out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meme pool in simple terms?

A meme pool is the sum total of all memes (transmittable units of cultural ideas, practices, symbols) present in a given human population. The term is analogous to gene pool.

Why does Meme pool matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meme pool?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meme pool.