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“I have often admired the mystical way of Pythagoras, and the secret magic of numbers“

Sir Thomas Browne first said this in the seventeenth century, was probably not directed at Magic Squares, and yet it most assuredly applies to this extremely fascinating and ancient of mathematical constructions.

If Magic Squares are something new for you, then it is simply a square grid (e.g. 3 x 3, 4 x 4), where the total of all the numbers in each row, the sum of all the numbers in each column, and, to be a perfect Magic Square, the sum of all the numbers in both corner diagonals, all sum to the same total, often referred to as the “magic total”.

You may be surprised to know that Magic Squares date back all the way to 2,800BC when a magic square known as the “Loh-Shu”, which translates as “scroll of the river Loh”, was invented by Fuh-Hi, who was the legendary founder of Chinese civilization.

Independently of this, Magic Squares have also been discovered in Arabian, Indian, Roman and Greek cultures too, with all of these dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

There are many mathematicians, the world over, including the famous Benjamin Franklin, who have contributed to the development of these mathematical curiosities, to the extent that even today, there are hard-core maths geeks who are still discovering new and intriguing aspects of Magic Squares.

Although alphabetic Magic Squares also exist, and have done for centuries, most Magic Squares are based on numbers, it is not too surprising that they are also used in a sort of numerological / astrological way, and this practise has typically been most popular in India, where the Yantra is constructed using a person’s full birthdate, and then used to give a character assessment.

That’s all very well, but I’m sure you wondering whether Magic Squares have any practical uses.

Well, for starters, they are a fantastic way to educate children about mathematics and the interactions between numbers.

The Internet is now host to many examples, and in particular, a free Magic Squares Worksheet that combines a three-dimensional puzzle with a Magic Square, which will keep children of all ages (including adults!) both educated and entertained.

Magic Squares also crop up in the world of conjuring, being used both as the effect itself and the secret method by which the effect is achieved. One widely-acclaimed book on the subject of Magic Squares presents both a mathematical analysis and some of the uses to which magicians have put Magic Squares.

Magic Squares can be addctive, however - you have been warned!