Constructing a Magic Square
A magic square is a
grid of numbers where each column, row and diagonal will add up to the
same total and where none of the numbers in the grid is repeated. They
have been used as magical charms for a very long time and make a good
puzzle to add into a role playing game. Here's how to make one that
will work for any square with an odd number of rows.Example square for the numbers 1-9
First, add up all the numbers in your range.
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9=45
Divide this total by the number of rows your finished square will have, in this case 3.
45/3=15
This gives you the total that each column and row will add up to.
Start in the centre box on the top row, put 1 in it and then move diagonally up and right to the next square. This takes you out of the grid so you wrap around to th last square on the bottom row where you put 2. Diagonally up and right again takes you out of the grid so you wrap around to the fist square in the middle row where you put 3. This completes the first 'set' of numbers, the size of the set is equal to the number of rows in your grid.
Your grid will look like this:
|
1
| ||
|
3
| ||
|
2
|
For the next step, move down a square from the 3 and place 4. Move diagonally up and right as before, placing the next numbers in sequence.
You will end up with a grid like this:
| 1 | 6 | |
| 3 | 5 | |
| 4 | 2 |
Finally, drop down a square from the last number in the set, 6, and continue as before......
Your filled grid will look like this:
| 8 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | 9 | 2 |
As you can see, each line adds up to 15.
Here's another, constructed the same way for the numbers 1-25. Each line adds up to 65.
| 17 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
| 23 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 16 |
| 4 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 22 |
| 10 | 12 | 19 | 21 | 3 |
| 11 | 18 | 25 | 2 | 9 |
Number Magic
Here's a simple little trick to amaze your friends........
'Choose two numbers between 9 and 99 and I will tell you what they are.'
Get the person who has chosen the numbers to carry out the following steps:
First number times 2 plus 5 times 100 divided by 2 minus 365 plus the 2nd number.
All you have to do is add 115 to the result to get a four digit number. The first two digits will be the first number thought of and the last two will be the second number thought of.
Which day were you born on?
Here's how to work out which day of the week you were born on.
| Sunday | 1 | Jan/Oct | 1 |
| Monday | 2 | May | 2 |
| Tuesday | 3 | August | 3 |
| Wednesday | 4 | Feb/Mar/Nov | 4 |
| Thursday | 5 | June | 5 |
| Friday | 6 | Sept/Dec | 6 |
| Saturday | 0 | Apr/July | 0 |
1800-1900=2 1900-200= 0
Write the last two digits of the year of your birth. Divide by 4 and ignore any remainder.
Add the month number from the table above, add the date and finally add the year number.
Add to this the last two digits of the year of birth.
Divide this total by seven and use the remainder to see which day you were born on from the table.
Heres an example using my date of birth, 29th September 1961.
61 (last two digits of year) /4 = 15
15+6 (September) +29+0 (1900-200) +61 (last two digits of year) = 111
111/7 = 15 remainder 6
I was born on a Friday.
Today's Birthday
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Try this one with me....
Choose a whole number greater than 0 and less than 10.
Multiply it by 9. If you have a two digit answer add them together.
Take away 5.
Now, if A=1, B=2, C=3 etc, find your letter.
Think of a country beginning with that letter.
Now think of an animal that begins with the 2nd letter of your country's name.
Concentrate on its main colour.
Highlight the box below with your cursor
| Are you thinking of a grey elephant from Denmark? |
Remembering Pi
Sometimes it's fun to be able to do something fairly pointless but that none the less seems impressive. I spend a lot of time in maths lessons in my job and, in the normal course of events, we come across Pi fairly often. I can recite the value of Pi to 32 decimal places, not because I ever need to but because it impresses the students and gets the teacher worried. Here's how I learnt it. The following rhyme is all you need, the number of letters in each word coresponds to the number next in line.
3.1415926535897932384626433832795
Sir. I bear a rhyme excellingin mystic force and magic spelling
celestial sprites elucidate
all my own striving can't relate
or locate they who can cogitate
and so finally terminate
finis
