Magic squares
For centuries, enthusiasts of elegant arithmetic have vied with each other in ingenuity to propose ever more astonishing magic squares, with increasingly numerous properties. One of the experts in the field, René Descombes, shares some of his construction methods. While computer tools allow enthusiasts to expand their collection of achievements, variants continue to increase. Let us rediscover multiplicative magic squares, pandigital magic squares and other "magic" constructions. The arithmetic treasures they contain seem limitless and are even found in figurative art.
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Build your first magic square | Tangente
can numbers be arranged so perfectly that they produce equal sums in every direction? The challenge is certainly difficult, but construction methods do exist! The magic of arithmetic...
Multiplications—for a change! | Tangente
The world of magic squares is still very much alive and remains an active field of research. Access to computing power has rekindled enthusiasts’ interest in these arithmetical objects. What happens if we try to define a multiplicative form of magic?
Albert Ayme | Tangente
Albert Ayme left his engineering post in 1960 to devote himself to painting and sculpture. His scientific training led him to devise a combinatorial system of variations on the square, combining visual pleasure with mathematical rigor. He made the square magical!
Square snippets | Tangente
Did you know that literary magic squares exist? Have you heard of nested magic squares? But where exactly does the adjective "magic" in "magic square" come from?
Little square puzzles | Tangente
Square-grid number puzzles appeal to enthusiasts of recreational mathematics. This selection comes from the "Affaire de logique" column in the newspaper Le Monde.
Magic every which way | Tangente
Magic squares have inspired wonder since antiquity. Mathematicians, artists and enthusiasts of every stripe have racked their brains to find forms of magic within a square beyond the "ordinary" classical arithmetic variety.