Magic Square

This is Magic Square level 1. You can also try:
Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8


Transum.org This web site contains over a thousand free mathematical activities for teachers and pupils. Click here to go to the main page which links to all of the resources available. Please contact me if you have any suggestions or questions.		More Activities: Maths Map Go Maths Games Puzzles Times Tables TablesMaster iPad Maths Investigations Exam Questions
Mathematicians are not the people who find Maths easy; they are the people who enjoy how mystifying, puzzling and hard it is. Are you a mathematician? Comment recorded on the 12 July 'Starter of the Day' page by Miss J Key, Farlingaye High School, Suffolk: "Thanks very much for this one. We developed it into a whole lesson and I borrowed some hats from the drama department to add to the fun!" Comment recorded on the 21 October 'Starter of the Day' page by Mr Trainor And His P7 Class(All Girls), Mercy Primary School, Belfast: "My Primary 7 class in Mercy Primary school, Belfast, look forward to your mental maths starters every morning. The variety of material is interesting and exciting and always engages the teacher and pupils. Keep them coming please."		Each month a newsletter is published containing details of the new additions to the Transum website and a new puzzle of the month. The newsletter is then duplicated as a podcast which is available on the major delivery networks. You can listen to the podcast while you are commuting, exercising or relaxing. Transum breaking news is available on Twitter @Transum and if that's not enough there is also a Transum Facebook page.
Featured Activity Snooker Investigation Given the width and height of a snooker table can you predict which pocket the ball will end up in and how many times will it bounce off one of the sides?	Numeracy "Numeracy is a proficiency which is developed mainly in Mathematics but also in other subjects. It is more than an ability to do basic arithmetic. It involves developing confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires understanding of the number system, a repertoire of mathematical techniques, and an inclination and ability to solve quantitative or spatial problems in a range of contexts. Numeracy also demands understanding of the ways in which data are gathered by counting and measuring, and presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables." Secondary National Strategy, Mathematics at key stage 3
Go Maths Learning and understanding Mathematics, at every level, requires learner engagement. Mathematics is not a spectator sport. Sometimes traditional teaching fails to actively involve students. One way to address the problem is through the use of interactive activities and this web site provides many of those. The Go Maths main page links to more activities designed for students in upper Secondary/High school.
Teachers
If you found this activity useful don't forget to record it in your scheme of work or learning management system. The short URL, ready to be copied and pasted, is as follows:	Alternatively, if you use Google Classroom, all you have to do is click on the green icon below in order to add this activity to one of your classes.	It may be worth remembering that if Transum.org should go offline for whatever reason, there are mirror site at Transum.info that contains most of the resources that are available here on Transum.org. When planning to use technology in your lesson always have a plan B!
Transum, Monday, December 2, 2013 "As an extension activity consider the following questions: How many magic squares are there that contain the numbers 5, 8 and 12? (ignore rotations and reflections). Is the centre number of a magic square always one third of the row and column totals? Can you create a magic square using only prime numbers?" Transum, Friday, June 2, 2017 "In the year 1514 the German artist Albrecht Dürer created an engraving called Melencolia with a magic square in the background. The image below shows an enlargement of the magic square. The date appears in the bottom row of the magic square. " Ian Stewart, Cabinet Of Mathematical Curiosities Friday, June 2, 2017 "Using consecutive whole numbers and counting rotations and reflections of a given square as being the same there are precisely: 1 magic square of size 3 × 3 880 magic squares of size 4× 4 275,305,224 5×5 magic squares of size 5 × 5. For the 6×6 case, there are estimated to be approximately 1.77 × 10¹⁹ squares." Transum, Saturday, February 17, 2018 "One method of finding a solution to a puzzle in which the digits one to nine have to be arranged in a particular formation is by trying every different permutation. This strategy however is very time consuming. Even if it only took one second to arrange the numbers and check whether a solution has been found, you would need to allow over one hundred hours to complete the task! Developing a strategy with some insight or consideration of the number patterns might be a better course of action. Good Luck! " Student, Tuesday, April 2, 2019 "There is a pattern that isn't time consuming. Place the 1st number in the center of the top row(can be done on the sides but easier if explained like this)(can only be done on oddxodd magic squares) and place next number on the box diagonally upwards to the right(could be left as well). If there is no box on top, place the number at the bottom of the next column. If there is no box to the right, then place it at the start of the next row. If the space is blocked by a number, then place it underneath the number you just wrote. When you reach the upper-right corner, place the next number directly below it and continue on. Repeat until all boxes are filled" Bernie Westacott, Twitter Friday, April 30, 2021 Y2 enrichment session. Make a 1-9 magic square using the pyramid method, then using shifts to solve harder puzzles. @Transum puzzles. pic.twitter.com/gxQgOtvezQ — bernie westacott (@berniewestacott) April 30, 2021 Juan, España Thursday, March 9, 2023 "Con estos números 7,37,43,67,73,79,103,109,139, se puede formar un cuadrado mágico de 3x3 como indica sus ejemplos? [Translation: With these numbers 7,37,43,67,73,79,103,109,139, can a 3x3 magic square be formed as indicated by your examples?]" Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.