Why are Copperminds Useful?

[Trusk'our he/him]

How is it that Copper Feruchmy is so useful? In TFE pg. 233, Sazed says that he has memorized 172 languages. But how would he be able to use them, even after tapping the knowledge? wouldn't he need to train and practice with them in order to use them in any practical situation?

Also, if a copper Ferring or Full Feruchemist removes their memory in order to save it for later, wouldn't they just forget what it is exactly that they have the potential to recall?

[Frustration]

You can make notes about what's in copperminds, and you can store muscle memory for languages.

[Trusk'our he/him]

33 minutes ago, Frustration said:

You can make notes about what's in copperminds, and you can store muscle memory for languages.

You can't store muscle memory though.

Plus, wouldn't you need to develop muscle memory by practicing a lot with the languages? That would negate the whole purpose of having a magic power that lets you remember things better, it feels like.

Quote

Skyward release party (Nov. 6, 2018)

Stormlightning

Can you coppermind muscle memory?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Good question, I've haven't ever been asked that before.

 

[alder24]

Sazed has a list or bookmarks in his copperminds, to show what's inside, where to access it, etc. With languages he probably have big dictionaries in them - just words translations, phonetics, grammar and syntax of sentences. If copperminds store sounds, then he can easily know how to say any words in them. 

[Trusk'our he/him]

12 minutes ago, alder24 said:

Sazed has a list or bookmarks in his copperminds, to show what's inside, where to access it, etc. With languages he probably have big dictionaries in them - just words translations, phonetics, grammar and syntax of sentences. If copperminds store sounds, then he can easily know how to say any words in them. 

So it's more like being able to look at a translation guide than actually being able to know the language as a native speaker would.

[That1Cellist he/him]

17 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

So it's more like being able to look at a translation guide than actually being able to know the language as a native speaker would.

Yes, I would think so. Connection manipulation could give you that particular ability, however.

[Trusk'our he/him]

55 minutes ago, That1Cellist said:

Yes, I would think so. Connection manipulation could give you that particular ability, however.

True. I mostly used the knowledge of languages as an example because it was what was used in the book, but I suppose I mostly was questioning about Copper Feruchemy's uses in general.

[Returned he/him]

It allows for a perfect record of information which is very compact, discreet, and not subject to being forgotten or misremembered to any degree (Ruin's influence aside, which admittedly ended up being a pretty important exception!).

I think that a good example of its usefulness was in the caverns in Hero of Ages when Sazed needed to design a mechanism for controlling the floodgates between the canals and the reservoir. Sazed wasn't an engineer, didn't have much experience (that we know of) with the relevant subjects, and couldn't cart a whole library of books around the Final Empire in case he might find a use for one particular concept. Instead he reviewed his index of information in his copperminds and had all of the information to hand, perfectly reliable, and he simply referenced the applicable bits and made notes to review when he replaced the memories back into the copper.

Other applications we've definitely seen might be less impressive than other Feruchemical metals, like the Lord Ruler's perfect memory for faces; Sazeds knowledge of ancient languages (not for spoken fluency, probably, but enough to translate Alendi's logbook); and Sazed's ability to preserve records of past religions despite the dedicated efforts of the Lord Ruler to destroy all such things. It's almost like having the internet, plus the Wayback Machine (or your favorite internet archive), in your pocket or on your wrists. Plus some cool, subterfuge-esque applications like learning information and storing it while eliminating the information from your mind... It's not the most dramatic power, but it has tons of flexibility and potential applications that are very practical.

[Trusk'our he/him]

10 hours ago, Returned said:

It allows for a perfect record of information which is very compact, discreet, and not subject to being forgotten or misremembered to any degree (Ruin's influence aside, which admittedly ended up being a pretty important exception!).

I think that a good example of its usefulness was in the caverns in Hero of Ages when Sazed needed to design a mechanism for controlling the floodgates between the canals and the reservoir. Sazed wasn't an engineer, didn't have much experience (that we know of) with the relevant subjects, and couldn't cart a whole library of books around the Final Empire in case he might find a use for one particular concept. Instead he reviewed his index of information in his copperminds and had all of the information to hand, perfectly reliable, and he simply referenced the applicable bits and made notes to review when he replaced the memories back into the copper.

Other applications we've definitely seen might be less impressive than other Feruchemical metals, like the Lord Ruler's perfect memory for faces; Sazeds knowledge of ancient languages (not for spoken fluency, probably, but enough to translate Alendi's logbook); and Sazed's ability to preserve records of past religions despite the dedicated efforts of the Lord Ruler to destroy all such things. It's almost like having the internet, plus the Wayback Machine (or your favorite internet archive), in your pocket or on your wrists. Plus some cool, subterfuge-esque applications like learning information and storing it while eliminating the information from your mind... It's not the most dramatic power, but it has tons of flexibility and potential applications that are very practical.

That makes a lot of sense. It doesn't simply replace your need to think and remember; it's just another tool in your toolbox.

I also found this quote, which helps solidify this fact.

Quote

The Hero of Ages Annotations (Dec. 24, 2009)

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Forty-Nine - Part One

Sazed's Memorization Skills

Okay, long chapter here. I'll bet I have to split this annotation in two. But, let's launch into it. First off, you should know that Sazed tends to gloss over just how hard he had to work to memorize those copperminds of his in the first place. Keepers like him go through intense memorization training early in their lives, learning how to build near-photographic memories even before they use their metalminds. The goal of this, of course, is to train the mind to hold a perfect image of what it has read so that knowledge can be kept as pristine as possible before being shoved into the coppermind.

Generally, a Keeper can keep the entire contents of several books memorized in their head even without use of Feruchemy. Like a Muslim who memorizes the Koran, Sazed could take a book and memorize it word for word, then repeat it all back to you. He's trained himself in this skill for so long, however, that it seems mundane to him. Beyond that, the application of Feruchemy changes his abilities—and how he uses them—somewhat.

So Copper Feruchemy is useful as a way to efficiently preserve, sort, and carry around a lot of information, but it won't let you simply replace your need for hard work and skill building. I suppose that it's like Allomantic pewter in this regard; you can do more physically than you normally could with pewter, but you still need to train and develop skills with the power for it to be truly useful. 

Sazed could use Copperminds to carry around a whole library of knowledge with ease. He can translate languages with the knowledge he has recorded but couldn't speak fluently in such languages unless he devoted the time and effort that anyone else would need. He can right down notes with knowledge he temporarily taps and can use the notes for things like building a floodgate mechanism.

I think that I understand now how Copperminds are useful. Thank you guys for helping me out!