Steadily shearing a non-Brownian suspension forms a memory of direction, while shearing back and forth forms a memory of amplitude. Each memory is evident in the system’s response to further shear, exemplifying its strong history dependence. By combining the steady and oscillatory experiments, we show these memories are distinct but intersecting aspects of the same nonequilibrium physics: they can coexist, yet a specific amplitude suppresses directional memory and makes the system symmetric. Combined with prior results from disordered solids, our Letter presents a simple motif for limited memory capacity in nonequilibrium matter.

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• Biological information processing
• Critical phenomena
• Learning
• Memory
• Microstructure
• Neural basis of learning & memory
• Neural information
• Rheology
• Shear deformation
• Nonequilibrium systems
• Suspensions