system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why I can memorize complicated formulas, but I struggle with knowing what letter comes next in the alphabet without singing it?
gpt
The alphabet is stored inside your memory in a way similar to how you store complicated formulas.

Have you ever tried to write down a formula backwards from memory without recalling the formula? Or have you tried rewriting the formula solving for one variable without writing out the original formula first?

We've learned how to parse through these formulas a certain way so they stick. If we try and parse them differently, it's much more difficult.

With training, it's much easier to recall the alphabet (imagine if you have to file things alphabetically all day). However, if you don't have to do it too often, your mind is not as trained to compare letters.