Playing the magic square puzzle...

...with my 10 year old Vietnamese student as an exercise in numeric thinking and logic. These puzzles are not so easy unless you have a little insight.
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Give it a go! It is only level4. For a 4*4 square the numbers are 1-16 so each row, column and diagonal adds to 16*17/8 =34
This is an even numbered magic square so it gives some additional properties about the 4 corners and the centre quadrant which make this one much easier.
He does pretty well at these, but I think we should jump to level 6.
As a hint to start with, we know the sum of R1C1+R4C1 so we immediately know the number in R2C1.
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Ironically I'm a numbers gal and have crunched numbers all my life, at least for fifty years. However, I for the life of me can't understand suduko. My brain shuts down if I try to figure out how to make those numbers work. Could be because I'm not getting paid to do so. The other side is I can't see the benefit to being able to solve it? There is probably a benefit but I don't see it. There is no way I could use it when converting recipe's but I use math to do so.

Some people can solve a Rubiks cube in seconds, I'm amazed but have no desire to even try.
I left out that I do admire those that can do it. I really do admire them.
For example why can't a 7 for the 56x go in row 2? Because then there could be no place for the 7 in both the 4200x and the 112x, so 7 must go in row 1 ...
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FargoFan

sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Retired but teaching and studying every day, travelling whenever I can and at home wherever I happen to be. From a small family but wishing I were part of a larger one. My students are scattered all over the world, as is my family. Language is a part [read more]

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created May 2022
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