Unlock the hidden order behind magic squares and cubes and learn how to build them step by step.
This classic work introduces magic squares as clear, compelling demonstrations of mathematical harmony. It guides you through odd and even squares, explains constructive methods, and shows how different patterns reveal the same underlying sums.
Readers will discover practical construction techniques, from classic methods to more modern variations, including the knight’s move and transposition schemes. The text also surveys famous examples like Franklin’s squares and links these puzzles to broader ideas in mathematics and number theory.
- How odd and even magic squares are formed and balanced
- Different constructive methods and their visual patterns
- Special techniques such as knight’s moves and quaternate transposition
- Historical connections and the mathematical value of these puzzles
Ideal for puzzle lovers, students, and readers curious about the math behind order and symmetry.
In the introduction to Magic Squares and Cubes, W.S. Andrews wrote writes, "The study of magic squares probably dates back to prehistoric times. Examples have been found in Chinese literature written about A. D. 1125 which were evidently copied from still older documents. It is recorded that as early as the ninth century magic squares were used by Arabian astrologers in their calculations of horoscopes, etc. Hence, the probable origin of the term magic, which has survived to the present day." He added that "a magic square consists of a series of numbers so arranged in a square that the sum of each row and column and of both the corner diagonals shall be the same amount which may be termed the summation."