Maths tricks · trick 12 of 25 · free

Magic squares — Maths trick for kids

In a magic square every row, every column and both diagonals add up to the same number — the magic total. If one number is missing, a full row tells you the total, and the total tells you the missing number.

The trick

Same total — “find the total from a full line, then fill the gap”

  1. Add up a row (or column) that has no gap: that is the magic total.
  2. Add the numbers you can see in the line with the gap.
  3. Missing number = magic total − that sum.

Use it for: Puzzle books, Olympiad questions and practising quick addition.

Worked example: Magic square (every row, column and diagonal has the same total): 2 9 4 | 7 ? 3 | 6 1 8. What is the missing number? → 5

  1. A full row: 2 + 9 + 4 = 15.
  2. The row with the gap: 7 + 3 = 10.
  3. 15 − 10 = 5.

Check: 9 + 5 + 1 = 15 and 2 + 5 + 8 = 15 ✓

✏️ Practice

Work it out in your head or on paper, type the answer and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

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🏁 Trick 12 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

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