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Panmagic Square


A panmagic square is a magic square of order n in which every diagonal of n entries, including those obtained by wrapping around the edges, sums to the magic constant (Kraitchik 1942, pp. 143 and 189-191). (Only the rows, columns, and main diagonals must sum to the same magic constant for the usual type of magic square.) The terms diabolic square (Gardner 1961, pp. 135-137; Hunter and Madachy 1975, p. 24; Madachy 1979, p. 87), pandiagonal square (Hunter and Madachy 1975, p. 24), and Nasik square (Madachy 1979, p. 87) are sometimes also used.

For normal magic squares, which use the integers 1 through n^2 exactly once, no panmagic square exists of order 3 or any positive order 4k+2 with k an integer. The Siamese method for generating magic squares produces panmagic squares for orders 6k+/-1 with ordinary vector (2,1) and break vector (1, -1).

AssociativeMagicSquare

The Lo Shu is not panmagic, but it is an associative magic square. Normal magic squares of order four can be panmagic or associative, but not both. Normal magic squares of order five are the smallest that can be both associative and panmagic, and 16 distinct associative panmagic squares exist up to rotation and reflection, one of which is illustrated above (Gardner 1988).

PanmagicSquares4

The numbers of normal panmagic squares up to rotation and reflection, for orders 1, 2, ..., are 1, 0, 0, 48, 3600, ... (OEIS A027567). Here, the count of 4×4 squares (all 48 of which are illustrated above) corrects Hunter and Madachy (1975, pp. 24-25), who cite the total number of 4×4 squares 384, counting rotations and reflections separately.

It is difficult to construct a square that is both bimagic and panmagic. Tarry found an 8×8 example with nonconsecutive integers in 1903. Su Maoting, an automobile transport worker in the Fujian province of China, found a 32×32 example in February 2006 (Boyer 2006).

Panmagic squares are related to hypercubes.


See also

Associative Magic Square, Franklin Magic Square, Hypercube, Lo Shu, Magic Square, Nasik Cube

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References

Boyer, C. "Multimagie News." Apr. 4, 2006. http://multimagie.com/English/News0604.htm.Gardner, M. The Second Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles & Diversions: A New Selection. New York: Simon and Schuster, pp. 135-137, 1961.Gardner, M. "Magic Squares and Cubes." Ch. 17 in Time Travel and Other Mathematical Bewilderments. New York: W. H. Freeman, pp. 213-225, 1988.Hunter, J. A. H. and Madachy, J. S. "Mystic Arrays." Ch. 3 in Mathematical Diversions. New York: Dover, pp. 24-25, 1975.Kraitchik, M. "Panmagic Squares." §7.9 in Mathematical Recreations. New York: W. W. Norton, pp. 143 and 174-176, 1942.Madachy, J. S. Madachy's Mathematical Recreations. New York: Dover, p. 87, 1979.Rosser, J. B. and Walker, R. J. "The Algebraic Theory of Diabolical Squares." Duke Math. J. 5, 705-728, 1939.Sloane, N. J. A. Sequence A027567 in "The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences."

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Panmagic Square

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Panmagic Square." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/PanmagicSquare.html

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